Podcast appearances and mentions of moses deut

First, today on this beautiful Sunday here in North Carolina, I want to give a shoutout to all the awesome mothers out there. Happy Mother's Day! I have been blessed to have two of the greatest mothers in all the world in my life. My mother, Albertina Agnes Kozlovsky Grooms, was a Godly mother who loved and prayed for all her children and grandchildren and was a beautiful example of the Proverbs 31 wife and mother! She went to be with the Lord on October 11, 2018 at 90 years of age. We all dearly miss her and today we honor her memory! The other great mother, of course, is my wife, Edith Obenshain Grooms! She has also loved and blessed our five children and grandchildren with her prayers and sacrificial service and Godly example! The world is definitely a better place because of her! Happy Mothers Day!!!!!   We all face difficult challenges in life and need encouragement and motivation to overcome and deal with them. Joshua is a great book to teach how we can by faith find our greatest encouragement from the Lord and experience and enjoy blessed and victorious lives despite our circumstances and problems.   The last couple of days we learned how Joshua was encouraged by God because he had a definite calling and commission. He knew God placed him in his role of leadership and had given him specific instructions as to what His will and plan for his life was. Whenever we know that the Lord has called us and given us a commission, we can have confidence and courage to face whatever we must deal with.   God gave Joshua a threefold task to perform and for each of those three tasks, God gave him three special promises. God promised He would enable Joshua to cross the river and claim the land (vv. 3-4). God promised Joshua that he would defeat the enemy (v. 5). And God promised Joshua that he would be to one to apportion the land to each tribe as its inheritance (v. 6). God didn't give Joshua explanations as to how He would accomplish these things, because God's people live on promises and not on explanations. When you trust God's promises and step out by faith (v. 3), you can be sure that the Lord will give you the directions you need when you need them.   First, God promised Joshua that Israel would enter the land (vv. 3-4). Over the centuries God had reaffirmed this promise, from His first words to Abraham (Gen. 12) to His last words to Moses (Deut. 34:4). God would take them over the Jordan and into enemy territory. He then would enable them to claim for themselves the land that He had promised them. There would be no repetition of the fear and unbelief that had brought the nation into defeat at Kadesh Barnea (Num. 13). God had already given them the land; it was their responsibility now to step out by faith and claim it (Josh 1:3; see Gen. 13:14-18). The same promise of victory that God had given to Moses (Num. 11:22-25), He reaffirmed to Joshua; and He carefully defined the borders of the land.   The lesson for God's people today is clear: God has given us all spiritual blessings...in Christ" (Eph. 1:3), and we must step out by faith and claim them. He has set before His church an open door that nobody can close (Rev. 3:8), and we must walk through that door by faith and claim new territory for the Lord. It is impossible to stand still in Christian life and service; for when you stand still, you immediately start going backward. "Let us go on!" is God's challenge to His church (Heb. 6:1), and that means moving ahead into new territory. The Bible is a Book of Promises! May the Lord give us grace to believe and by faith claim them for our lives and families today!   God bless!

Psalm 57 Worksheet Psalm 57 is another Trouble and Trust Psalm within the series of 8 complaint Psalms from 52-59. David gives notes to the Chief Musician, with the note that the tune should be “Do Not Destroy,” which is also the suggested tune for Psalms 58, 59, and 75. What kind of tune do you think will best bring out the concept “do not destroy?” Michtam (H4387) appears in the heading for Psalm 16, and then every Psalm from 56 to 60. It's meaning is uncertain, but definitely refers to a type of poem. Based on the 6 Psalms it is over, I think it may refer to something like a prayer for ___________________________. As I read Psalm 57, look for the 2 different ways we could outline it. What 2 verses are identical? David's _________________________ from his “Lion's den” V. 1-5 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say “Destroy!” -Deut. 33:27 The concept of going to God for refuge goes back to Moses (Deut. 33:27), but David's family owned it in such a way that when he didn't have a ___________________ to go for refuge, he went to God! Sometimes the Selah is there to make you think of what came before – here it may be to emphasize the ________________________ line: God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. Mercy is the great Hebrew word Hesed and truth is the great Hebrew word emets, which often go together like peanut butter and jelly! Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. -Prov. 3:3 Remember also Ex. 34:6ff Saul and his men were hunting David like lions do; The Philistines would love to get him back for the tens of thousands he killed; Here he is in a cave with men described as distressed, in debt, and discontented (1 Samuel 22:1-2). I would be __________________________ out to God also! Verse 5 is a benediction to end the first section. David has full confidence that God is in control despite the seeming chaos he is in the middle of. I believe the ____________________ of God is the number one theme in the Bible. David's ____________________ in his “Lion's Den” V. 6-11 I love how David describes what will happen to his _______________________ – they spread a net for him, but they got trapped in it; they dug a pit for him to fall into, and in they went. In verse 1 David doubled up on asking for God's mercy; here he doubles up on pledging his own steadfastness no matter his _______________________________! I love how often the words of David show his heart for the peoples beyond Israel to hear the praises of God. His own future reign shows people from different backgrounds who had turned to Yahweh with him. There's those words again, Hesed and emets – God's faithful love and His truth are the _______________________'s defining realities for David and Israel.

Although the Gospel of John paints a thorough picture of Jesus as the prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15-19), many of those who rejected Jesus regarded him as a false prophet who spoke presumptuously in the name of Yahweh (Deut. 18:20). This episode traces the many ways in which the narrative of the Gospel of John is framed around the warning in Deut 18:20, focusing specifically on what Jesus said that led so many to consider him a messianic pretender, resulting in being put to death. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www.paypal.me/10mintruthtalks                             To view the notes from this episode please click the link below: https://docs.google.com/document/d/158SBZImXkF8j7R7omiKbgav-nDLuSXYrVKMH4IUeZWc/edit?usp=sharing                     Check out some of my videos on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@BiblicalUnitarianPodcast           Follow us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/OneGodPodcast   

July 26, 2023 PM, Acts 3:1-26.Peter and John enabled a lame man to walk, and God used this to authenticate not only their ministry but also to point the crowds to Jesus Christ in whose name the healing was performed. Once again, Peter confronts the people for supporting the crucifixion of Jesus and calls the people to repent and be converted. Since Jesus is that prophet that was like Moses (Deut. 18:15), it was imperative that the people listen to this message, else they will be destroyed. Peter ends on the note of blessing--God sent Christ to bless the people in turning them away from sin. To be turned from sin to God is the greatest of blessings that we can experience.

Introduction      Previously, the church had come under persecution by Saul (Acts 8:1-3), and the result was, “those who had been scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Philip—one of the seven Hellenistic Jews chosen in Acts 7—showed himself to be an obedient-to-the-word believer who shared the gospel with others who were willing to listen (Acts 8:5-8). Philip relied on the Holy Spirit to create witnessing opportunities and engaged people through normal conversation. Text      As Luke continues to recount Philip's evangelistic ministry, he focuses on a particular person named Simon, saying, “Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, ‘This man is what is called the Great Power of God'” (Acts 8:9-10). Here, Luke records the first of three encounters with the occult in the book of Acts (cf., Acts 8:8-9; 13:8; 16:16). This magic that Simon practiced was not mere sleight of hand, but had demonic powers working through him. This led many people to focus on him and to be misled by his activities. According to Stanley Toussaint: "Because of his “sorcery,” the ability to exercise control over nature and/or people by means of demonic power, people called him the Great Power. They may or may not have thought of him as possessing deity. At any rate Simon boasted that he was someone great, and the people of Samaria believed him. Furthermore, he accepted their adulation."[1]      Luke continues, saying, “And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts” (Acts 8:11). Apparently Simon was performing his “magic arts” by means of demonic forces. Biblically, there are examples of when Satan empowered his false messengers to perform miracles in order to deceive. For example, when Moses was executing God's plagues upon Egypt, it is recorded that three times “the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts” (Ex 7:10-11; cf., 7:21-22; 8:6-7). Later, Moses warned the Israelites who were about to enter the land that they should guard themselves against false prophets and dreamers of dreams who arise and give them a “sign or wonder” and then seek to lead them away from God (Deut 13:1-4). Jesus warned of future “false Christs and false prophets who will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Matt 24:24). And Paul spoke of the coming Antichrist, “whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Th 2:9-10). Those who know God's Word and live by it will guard themselves against the deceiving power of false miracle workers.      Luke informs us that Simon began to lose some of his followers, saying, “But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike” (Acts 8:12). Here were people turning from Simon's deceptive practices to the true and living God as they believed Philip's message concerning the good news about “the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12b). The kingdom of God here refers to the coming future earthly kingdom that Christ will bring in at His second coming (Acts 1:3, 6; Rev 20:4-6). Of course, Jesus Christ is the Savior and coming King who will rule over the earth in righteousness. Stanley Toussaint states, “‘The name of Jesus Christ' looks to His position as Messiah (cf., 8:5, ‘the Christ,' lit., the Messiah). In other words, the message meant that some Samaritans would become heirs of the Millennium by faith in Jesus, the Messiah.”[2] Apparently, Philip's message about Jesus included His work on the cross as well as a future hope of a better world when He returns and rules the world in righteousness (Rev 20:4-6). Here was a contrast between Simon and Philip. Whereas Simon sought to bring attention to himself, Philip pointed others to Christ.      Interestingly, Luke tells us, “Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed” (Acts 8:13). I take this passage as Simon's conversion experience, as the text states he “believed” the good news message Philip was preaching and he was “baptized” as a new convert. Stanley Toussaint thinks Simon was not saved because of his sinful actions that follow (see his notes in the Bible Knowledge Commentary). However, I tend to agree with Thomas Constable, who wrote, “Even Simon believed. I see no reason to conclude that Simon's faith was spurious. The text says that he believed just as the others Luke mentioned (Acts 9:12), and there is no reason to doubt the reality of their faith.”[3] Charles Swindoll notes, “Luke says plainly, ‘Simon himself believed' (Acts 8:13). He expects us to take that statement at face value; after all, Philip didn't doubt the man's authenticity. Simon was baptized in water and then followed Philip like a disciple, observing the deacon's ministry of preaching, healing, and casting out demons.”[4]      Luke continues, saying, “Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17). This account reveals the Samaritans had been accepted by God just as the Jewish believers. But why was the Holy Spirit withheld from the Samaritans until Peter and John came down from Jerusalem? According to Charles Swindoll, “God didn't bring the apostles to Samaria to bestow the Holy Spirit but to witness the Samaritans receiving the Holy Spirit. The Lord delayed the falling of the Holy Spirit for the apostles' benefit, to assure them that He had accepted the Samaritans' belief and had made them full-fledged brothers and sisters in the kingdom.”[5]Stanley Toussaint states: "Perhaps the most important aspect of God's withholding the Spirit till apostolic representatives came from the Jerusalem church was to prevent schism. Because of the natural propensity of division between Jews and Samaritans it was essential for Peter and John to welcome the Samaritan believers officially into the church. The contrast between John's attitude here and in Luke 9:52–54 is significant."[6]      Luke then brings Simon back into the account, saying, “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, ‘Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit'” (Acts 8:18-19). What Simon visually witnessed is uncertain. Perhaps the Holy Spirit was manifesting Himself through these new converts by means of tongues, just as He did when He came upon those on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). Whatever Simon saw, it moved his carnal heart to seek to have that power himself, so he offered Peter and John some money, thinking they could transfer this ability to him. The purchase of knowledge or power for personal gain was and is a worldly practice. Here, Simon was operating from a state of carnality and seeking to monopolize God's power for personal advantage. Toussaint notes, “The term simony, which is the buying or selling of things considered religious or sacred such as an ecclesiastical office, comes from Simon's desire to purchase the ability to impart the Holy Spirit to others.”[7]      But things did not go as Simon had hoped, as “Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God” (Acts 8:20-21). Simon was worldly minded and did not understand grace. He was governed by selfish pride for personal gain rather than selfless humility for the service of others. The pronouncement of Peter that Simon perish (ἀπώλεια apoleia – to be destroyed) could refer either to eternal destruction (John 3:16), or to premature physical death such as happened with Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:1-10). If Simon was not a Christian, then it speaks to his eternal damnation. If Simon was a Christian, then it refers to the sin unto death which a believer can experience (1 Cor 11:30; 1 John 5:16-17).      Do God's children ever behave sinfully? Yes. Throughout Scripture, we observe examples of God's children behaving sinfully, yet they were true believers. For example, Abraham twice lied and jeopardized the safety of his wife, Sarah (Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-11). Samson slept with several women (Judg 16:1, 4), and lied to his parents (Judg 14:5-9). David had an adulterous affair with Bathsheba and then murdered her husband, Uriah (2 Sam 11:1-17), followed Satan's temptation and “sinned greatly” by taking an unauthorized census in Israel  (1 Ch 21:1, 8), and even practiced the sin of polygamy contrary to the Law of Moses (Deut 17:17). Solomon practiced polygamy and “had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines” (1 Ki 11:3a), and went “after other gods” to worship them (1 Ki 11:4). Jonah disobeyed the Lord and temporarily fled His calling (Jonah 1:1-3). The apostles James and John suggested to Jesus that a Samaritan city be destroyed by fire (Luke 9:51-54). Peter rebuked the Jesus and tried to stop Him from going to the cross (Matt 16:21-23), and later publicly denied Him three times (Matt 26:69-75). The apostle John, while receiving divine revelation, was twice rebuked for worshipping an angel (Rev 19:10; 22:8-9).      We cannot know with 100% certainty whether Simon was saved, but at the end of the day, “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Tim 2:19). The problem is, if we doubt the statement here about Simon's faith in Jesus, it opens the door for us to doubt the faith of anyone who believes, including ourselves. In this way, we can easily become fruit inspectors who spend our time analyzing people's lives and thinking they are not saved because we don't immediately see the fruit of a changed life. Taking the passage in a straightforward way, it's easier to see Simon as a carnal baby believer who has a lot to learn.      Peter's advice for Simon was, “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity” (Acts 8:22-23). Simon was jealous of the Apostle's ability and wanted the power for himself. To be in the gall of bitterness is to be deeply envious of someone to such an extent that it results in bitterness and bondage because they have something you don't, and the thought of it drives you to mental madness. Simon was in the “bondage of iniquity.” However, after being rebuked by Peter, Simon seems to display some humility, as Luke records, “But Simon answered and said, ‘Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me'” (Acts 8:24). This seems to be a genuine cry of concern from Simon, which might further argue his conversion was true. Conclusion      Many Samaritans had believed in Christ as their Savior, but the giving of the Holy Spirit was intentionally delayed until the Apostles could arrive. This was a special occasion, as the baptism, indwelling and sealing of the Holy Spirit would occur at Salvation for future believers (1 Cor 12:13; cf., 1 Cor 6:19; Eph 1:13; 4:30). The Samaritans received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the Apostle's hands to reveal a unity and new Christian identity as part of the church. The new spiritual identity created by God the Holy Spirit destroyed the hostilities that had existed for centuries between the Jews and Samaritans.      Prior to believing in Christ, Simon was involved in the occult and had the ability—through demonic forces—to perform supernatural acts to manipulate people and circumstances for his self-interest and self-glory (Acts 8:9-10). In contrast, the Apostles performed miracles by means of God's power, always giving credit to God and pointing men to Christ for salvation (see Acts 3:12, 16; 4:10). Though Simon had “believed” and been “baptized” along with the others at Samaria, he was still governed by pride and worldly viewpoint. Simon reveals his theological ignorance when he requested to buy the ability to dispense the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. Peter strongly rebuked Simon who failed to understand God's grace, and thought to turn it into a system of self-centered glory. Simon became fearful after Peter's rebuke and asked Peter to pray for him, hoping to avoid the punishment. Present Application      Taking Simon as a believer, it demonstrates the point that regeneration does not automatically produce humility or the divine viewpoint necessary for Christian service. After being born again, the Christian must begin the process of expunging a lifetime of human viewpoint thinking and replacing it divine viewpoint. This is accomplished only through consistent study and the application of God's Word over time (see Rom 12:1-2; Eph 4:11-16; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18). The Gospel      If you are here this morning without Christ, without hope, and without eternal life, I want you to know that when Jesus was on the cross, He had you personally in mind as He bore your sin and paid the price for it. He died and paid the penalty for your sins so that you would not have to. Scripture reveals, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8), and “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). The good news for us is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4), and if we place our faith in Him as the only Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), we are promised forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7), eternal life (John 10:28), and place in heaven forever (John 14:1-3). Dr. Steven R. Cook               [1] Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 372. [2] Ibid., 372–373. [3] Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Ac 8:13. [4] Charles R. Swindoll, Acts, Swindoll's Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2016), 145. [5] Ibid., 145. [6] Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, vol. 2, 373. [7] Ibid., 373.

Introduction      For thirty three chapters, Moses has been speaking to his people, Israel, and informing them about their special God who is unique (Deut 4:35, 39; Isa 45:5-6), His love for them (Deut 7:7-9; 10:15-19), their liberation from slavery (Deut 5:6; 15:15), God's calling them into a special relationship with Him (Lev 11:45), and His directives that would set them above the nations of the world and bring His blessing if they obey (Deut 11:26-28; 30:15-20). Those who love Him will follow His directives (Deut 6:4-9). In this chapter, the voice of Moses falls silent, as God calls His servant home. According to Daniel Block: "By this point in the drama, Moses has done all he could do to set his house in order. He has commissioned a successor (Deut 31:1-8, 23), provided a written transcript of his farewell pastoral sermons and arranged for the regular reading of this Torah in the future (Deut 31:9-13, 24-29), taught the people a national anthem (Deut 31:14-22, 30; 32:47), and pronounced his benediction on the tribes (Deut 33:1-29). All that remains is the report of his death and the people's response to his passing."[1] Text      In this closing section, we observe Moses ascending Mount Nebo, where he will see the land of Canaan from a distance. We read, “Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2 and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar” (Deut 34:1-3).      Having walked the earth for 120 years, Moses was about to take his final journey, a walk from which he would not return, for he would soon die. And, as Moses ascended the mountain, he would have been able to look over his shoulder and see the Israelites' camp below. Moses' destination was “the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho” (Deut 34:1b). And once on top of the mountain, “the LORD showed him all the land” of Canaan (Deut 34:1c). The words showed him translates the Hebrew verb רָאָה raah, which, in the hiphil form, means “to let someone see something, to show someone.”[2] Here we observe God's permissive will, as He allowed Moses to see the land of Canaan, which He had promised to His people, Israel. Moses visually surveyed the land in a counter clockwise manner from north to south.      Having observed all the land, “Then the LORD said to him, ‘This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there'” (Deut 34:4). The land Moses saw was the very land God promised to Abraham (Gen 13:15; 17:8), Isaac (Gen 26:3), Jacob (Gen 28:13), and to their descendants as an everlasting possession (Gen 15:18; 24:7; Deut 1:8). Here we observe God's active will, in which He, by His sovereign choice and omnipotent power, gives to His people. Though Israel would get to enter the land, God reminded Moses that he was not going to let him enter it, saying, “you shall not go over there” (Deut 34:4b; cf., Deut 3:27; 32:52). Though Moses would not set foot on the land, he would leave the world stage knowing he'd been employed by the Lord to get His people there. Moses' Epitaph      What follows in the closing verses of the book of Deuteronomy was written by someone other than Moses, perhaps Joshua, to inform us about the details of Moses' death. We are told, “So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD” (Deut 34:5). Moses was faithful to the end of his life. Even though Moses was under divine discipline and would not enter the land, he is still described as the “servant of the LORD” ( עֶֽבֶד־יְהוָ֛ה- ebed Yahweh), an honorable title held by others who submitted themselves to God and walked with Him (Josh 24:29; 2 Sam 3:18; Job 1:8; Isa 20:3). This title was formalized in the name Obadiah, which means servant of Yahweh. God had been with Moses throughout his ministry, and others saw the Lord was with him. Though Moses would die alone, away from others, he was not alone, for God was with Him to the end, to accompany His servant as he left this earth and entered heaven.      After Moses died, the Lord took his limp, lifeless body, “And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day” (Deut 34:6). That God personally attended to the burial of Moses speaks of an intimacy and tenderness the Lord had for His prophet. God took Moses' body from the mountain top and brought it down into “the valley in the land of Moab.” There are some things God does not want us to know (Deut 29:29), that He keeps hidden from us for His own reasons, and the burial place of Moses is one of them. This is one of the mysteries of the Bible. But why hide Moses' body? The text does not say. It's possible that God knew the idolatrous hearts of the Israelites and that they would venerate Moses' grave as a holy place in itself. According to Charles Swindoll, “Moses is the only person in the Bible whom God personally buried. Did you know that? And then the Lord hid the tomb. Why did He do that? Because that grave would have become a second Mecca. They would still be beating a path up Nebo to this day, building shrines, selling popcorn and peanuts, offering all sorts of rides, maybe running a tram up there, with big banners announcing, ‘Moses' burial place!'”[3]      To add to the mystery around Moses' death, Jude wrote about “Michael the archangel” who “disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses” (Jude 1:9a). Apparently Michael, the archangel, was somehow involved in Moses' burial, and had a dispute with Satan over the body. Why Satan would want the body of Moses is not known, as Jude does not elaborate on the details. It's possible Satan wanted to use Moses' body for idolatrous purposes. Whatever the reason, God would not permit Satan to have his way. Here we observe God's overruling will.      We know that Moses' spirit, at his death, went into the presence of the Lord, and later appeared with Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt 17:1-3). Matthew wrote about the event, saying, “Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves” (Matt 17:1). And while they were on the mountain, Jesus “was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light” (Matt 17:2). And during the time of Jesus' glorification, Matthew tells us, “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him” (Matt 17:3). Though Moses' body was still in a grave, his spirit was alive and well, and here, along with the spirit of Elijah, was interacting with Jesus. Warren Wiersbe informs us, “Moses did arrive in the Holy Land centuries later when he and Elijah joined Jesus in glory on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt 17:1–3; Luke 9:28–31).”[4]      The writer informs us that Moses did not die because of old age or infirmity, as he states, “Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated” (Deut 34:7). Moses died because God put him to death. Within God's divine plan, it was simply Moses' time to die, so the Lord ended his life and brought his servant home. This occurred, in part, because it was God's time to bring Israel into the land of Canaan, which the Lord had told Moses he would not see because of his disobedience in the wilderness (Num 20:1-12).      Though Moses had died, God and His Word remained, and the people had all they needed for a life of success if they would follow Yahweh. Sadly, the book of Judges shows they did not stay true to the Lord, and even Moses' grandson, “Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses” (Judg 18:30; cf., Ex 2:21-22), would later turn away from the Lord and lead the people into idolatry (Judg 18:30-31). In this way, Jonathan was acting more like Aaron, his great uncle, than his grandfather, Moses, for Aaron had led the people into idolatry and the worship of the golden calf (Ex 32:1-6).      And after Moses' death and burial, we're told, “So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end” (Deut 34:8). The people of Israel—at least the second generation since the exodus—loved Moses and mourned his passing. They also mourned Aaron for thirty days as well (Num 20:29), which was longer than the customary seven days (cf., Gen 50:10).      Switching focus to Joshua, the writer states, “Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses” (Deut 34:9). To have “the spirit of wisdom” meant Joshua had been divinely enabled to take up the leadership role and move forward, as God intended. Fortunately, the Israelites listened to Joshua and followed his directives. In this way, they “did as the LORD had commanded Moses” (Deut 34:9b).      In closing out this book, we're told, “Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 for all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel” (Deut 34:10-12). As a prophet, Moses was in a class by himself because: 1) the Lord knew Moses face to face, 2) Moses had performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, 3) the mighty power God worked through Moses in the sight of all Israel. According to Peter Craigie, “Moses was a prophet, but in his epitaph it is not his knowledge of God that is stressed, but rather the Lord's knowledge of him. God had sought him out and appointed him to a particular task; over the years, the relationship had become intimate, so that to those Israelites who knew Moses, it was evident that his highest communion was with God.”[5]Warren Wiersbe adds, “Moses was faithful to walk with God, and he spoke to God as a man speaks to his friend (Ex 33:11; Num 12:7–8). The secret of his life wasn't his own abilities—he claimed he had none—or even his education in Egypt (Acts 7:22), but his humble walk with the Lord. He spent time with God, he listened to God's Word, and he followed God's orders.”[6] And Daniel Block notes: "The account of the death and burial of Moses on the mountain forces the reader to ask, “Now what?” The answer lies in the recognition that in the end, Israel's fate is not in the hands of Moses. He is not the one who actually brought them out of Egypt and sustained them through the desert wanderings, and he will not complete the mission by delivering the Promised Land into their hands. The rest of the Scriptures are commentary not only on how Israel responded, but also on the fidelity of Yahweh, who will complete the present mission without Moses and who will patiently work with his people. Moses has merely been his mouthpiece, the interpreter of his great and gracious revelatory acts, whose aim was always to point his people to Yahweh their Redeemer."[7] Summary      In this closing section, we observe a brief account of Moses' death and burial. Unlike other rulers throughout history, who have erected great memorials to themselves that others might remember them, Moses' death is simple and without a monument. Moses was not concerned that people remember him, but that they remember the Lord, learn His Word, and follow His directives. Moses is remembered as God's servant who was faithful to carry out his mission (Heb 3:5). Present Application      From Genesis to Revelation, God governs the lives of people and nations. People exist because God gives them life. David wrote, “Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves” (Ps. 100:3). And God determines the duration of each person's life, having final control over the day and cause of their death. The Lord states, “It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand” (Deut 32:39). And Job said, “Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain” (Job 14:2). And Hannah, in her stately prayer says, “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up” (1 Sam 2:6).  People live and die as God decides, “for in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28).      Furthermore, God controls the exact days of our life. David wrote, “in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Ps. 139:16). The writer of Hebrews states, “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Heb 9:27). The word appointed translates the Greek verb ἀπόκειμαι apokeimai, which means “it is certain, is destined.”[8] Apart from Enoch (Gen 5:24), Elijah (2 Ki 2:11), and the rapture generation (1 Cor 15:51-52; 1 Th 4:13-18), all humanity will face death. God brings His children to heaven by numerous means, and sometimes uses sickness, as He'd done with Elisha, who “became sick with the sickness of which he was to die” (2 Ki 13:14a). And we know that “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones” (Psa 116:15). For believers who die, we are instantly transported into the presence of the Lord, for “to be absent from the body” means we are instantly “at home with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8; cf., Phil 1:21-23). Our last breath here is followed by our first breath in heaven. And though the departing of a loved one leaves us with the sorrow of loss, we realize this is temporary, as we will see them again. David, who lost his son, said “I will go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Sa 12:23). This is our hope as well, for we, as Christians, know our loved ones are in heaven, and that at a future time we will be reunited with them forever (1 Th 4:13-17). At the time of the rapture of the church, “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th 4:16-17). For this reason, Paul said, “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Th 4:18).      There is wisdom in thinking about death and the afterlife. David wrote, “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer” (Psa 103:14-16). And in another place he said, “LORD, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am” (Psa 39:4). And Moses said to the Lord, “Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psa 90:12). Wisdom is found in the one who contemplates the Lord, the brevity of life, and the eternal resting place of heaven. Solomon wrote, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart” (Eccl 7:2). But in all this, we must not forget to live, nor to realize that what we do in time touches things eternal, for one life will soon be past, and only what's done for Christ will last. So live, and live well, and above all, live for the Lord. There's no better life than the one lived in daily fellowship with God, learning and living His Word, and this we will do until the end of our days. Charles Swindoll notes: "When you're planning on retirement, don't plan on checking out with people or with God's Word. If you do, you'll be moving away from that which is eternal, and that's the wrong direction, my friend. So stay in touch. Give until you don't have anything else to give, and then tap into God's reservoirs and give some more. This is what lengthens the meaning and purpose—and sometimes the years—of life."[9]     [1] Daniel I. Block, The NIV Application Commentary: Deuteronomy, ed. Terry Muck (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 806. [2] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 1161. [3] Charles R. Swindoll, Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication (Nashville, Tenn., Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2009), 346. [4] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 197. [5] Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 406. [6] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series, 198. [7] Daniel I. Block, The NIV Application Commentary: Deuteronomy, 815. [8] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 113. [9] Charles R. Swindoll, Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication, 348.

Introduction      As God's chosen leader for Israel, Moses had provided everything the people needed for a life of success and prosperity (Deut 11:26-28; 30:15-18). However, in this pericope, the Lord informs Moses and Joshua that after Moses dies and Joshua leads the nation into Canaan, the people will abandon the Lord and pursue idols to their own harm. And this will happen after the Lord demonstrates His goodness to them and blesses them greatly. This shows that godly leadership does not guarantee others will follow. Nevertheless, God's leadership must maintain faithfulness to their appointed task, even when they know those they lead will fail to live by the virtues they are taught. This requires commitment and integrity before the Lord. Text      This new section opens with Moses' death being mentioned and the appointment of Joshua as his successor. The text reads, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, the time for you to die is near; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.' So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 The LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent” (Deut 31:14-15). The “tent of meeting” was a special place located outside the camp where Moses would meet with God for instruction and direction (Ex 33:7-11; Num 11:16, 12:4). The “pillar of cloud” was the visible presence of God for Israel during this time (Ex 13:21-22). Whereas Moses had previously commissioned Joshua publicly as his successor (Deut 31:7-8), here the meeting was private, with only Moses and Joshua presenting themselves to the Lord. In what follows, the Lord speaks first to Moses (Deut 31:16-21), and then to Joshua (Deut 31:23).      The text reads, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them'” (Deut 31:16). The Lord revealed to Moses that after his death, the people of Israel would begin the journey of apostasy in which they would turn away from the Lord and worship idols. In this way, they would break their covenant promise to the Lord and turn away from Him (cf., Judg 2:17). This must have been sad news to Moses, who had spent his years as a faithful and godly leader who instructed and encouraged his people to know the Lord and walk with Him (Deut 11:26-28; 28:1; 30:15-16). The Lord continued to inform Moses, saying: "Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?' 18 But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods." (Deut 31:17-18)      Because Israel would act wickedly by turning from the Lord and worshipping idols, He would execute the curses of the covenant (Deut 28:15-68). His people would incorrectly think their problems came upon them because God had abandoned them, saying, “Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?” (Deut 31:17b). It's true the nation would experience great suffering, but not because God had failed, but because they had. The Lord declared, “I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods” (Deut 31:18). Earl Radmacher correctly notes, “The principal reason for God's judgment on His people was their continual idolatry. They abandoned His grace and willingly embraced the evil religious practices of the Canaanites.”[1]When God hides His face, it is the opposite of blessing, in which He causes His face to shine upon them for their good (Num 6:24-26).      In order for Israel to correctly assess their circumstances from the divine perspective, the Lord instructed Moses and Joshua to write a song and to teach it to Israel. The Lord said, “Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel” (Deut 31:19). Here, the directive was for Moses and Joshua to write the song together. The song itself is recorded in Deuteronomy 32:1-43. The phrase, “put it on their lips” means, “have them recite it” (CSB), which denotes memorizing it in order to be able to recall it from memory. The Lord gives the reason, saying, “For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant” (Deut 31:20). Earl Kalland notes: “Teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it” (Deut 31:19) implies sufficient repetition to fix it in the minds of the people. Only then would they be able to sing it, and only then would it be a witness to the Lord's admonition, not only to those of that generation, but to their descendants who will not have forgotten it (Deut 31:21). The song was to be taught nationally from generation to generation.[2]      Unfortunately, the people who welcomed the Lord's prosperity, would develop a sense of independence, and because the human heart is corrupt, they would turn away from the Lord and pursue idols to their own harm. There is wisdom in the prayer of Agur, who asked the Lord, “Two things I asked of You, do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the LORD?' Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Prov 30:7-9).      The Lord continued to inform Moses and Joshua, saying, “Then it shall come about, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants); for I know their intent which they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore” (Deut 31:21). God knew the hearts of His people were corrupt and that they would turn away from Him after they'd enter the land of Canaan and experienced His blessings. Peter Craigie states: "The words that the Lord addresses to Moses on the eve of his death must have caused great sadness in the aging leader. The substance of his long address to the Israelites had been faithfulness to God and a warning against the dangers of resorting to foreign gods and their cults. But now, about to die, Moses is told that this people will rise up and consort with gods foreign to the land. The words of God are not primarily prophetic; they portray rather divine insight into the basic character of the people and their constant tendency to unfaithfulness."[3]      As God's faithful leader, “Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel” (Deut 31:22). God's call for His leaders to be faithful must be obeyed, even when they know those they lead tend toward corruption and will fall away and pursue evil the first chance they get. Godly leaders are responsible to the Lord, to be faithful to Him, to maintain godly output, even when those under their care are defiant. This is true for national leaders, pastors, business leaders, teachers, parents, etc.      After giving Moses specific instructions, the Lord commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, saying, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you” (Deut 31:23). Even knowing the future failure of His people, the Lord commissioned Joshua to be Moses' successor and to lead the people into righteousness. Failure among the people was not for want of direction and provision by the Lord. No doubt, after Moses' death, Joshua would feel the burden of leadership. His only consolation was that God was with him, to strengthen and guide him along the way, and that his duty was to be faithful to the Lord. According to Peter Craigie, “Of the forms of loneliness that a man can experience, there are few so bleak as the loneliness of leadership. But Joshua assumed his lonely role with an assurance of companionship and strength. God's presence with him would be sufficient to enable him to meet boldly every obstacle that the future could bring.”[4]      Next, we learn, “It came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, 26 ‘Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you'” (Deut 31:24-26). Here, again, we have a clear statement concerning Mosaic authorship of the book of Deuteronomy (cf., Deut 31:9). Moses gave the book of the Law to the Levites who were to carry it along with the ark of the covenant. Having this written record served a purpose, “that it may remain there as a witness against you” (Deut 31:26b). Truth is objective, and God's judgments are based on fixed standards of righteousness. Moses then spoke to the people, saying: "For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death? 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands." (Deut 31:27-29)      Later, near the end of Joshua's life, he encouraged the people to adhere to the Law of Moses so that they might know success and blessing (Josh 23:6-11), with a warning of judgment if they disobeyed (Josh 23:12-16; 24:20-24). Though Israel's journey of apostasy would begin with the death of Moses, it would gain full steam after the death of Joshua. Historically, we know Israel failed to drive out the Canaanites as God directed (Judg 1:21; 28-33). And because of their disobedience to drive them out, Israel was negatively influenced by the Canaanites who corrupted their values, and they repeatedly did evil in the sight of the Lord by worshipping idols (Judg 2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1). Sadly, each successive generation got worse and worse (Judg 2:19). And each time Israel fell into idolatry,  God gave them into the hands of their enemies to punish them (Judg 3:8, 12; 4:2; 6:1; 10:6-7; 13:1). But when they cried out to the Lord, He graciously delivered them (Judg 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6; 10:12), and for a while they experienced peace. The cycle of sin, suffering, prayer, salvation, and a period of peace was repeated six times in the book of Judges over a period of approximately 350 years.      In anticipation of the next chapter, we read, “Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were complete” (Deut 31:30). As God's faithful servant, Moses wrote the song as he'd been directed by the Lord. Present Application      In this chapter we have a glimpse into some of the issues related to godly leadership. When called to lead others according to God's values, it's important to know there will be times when those under our care will not follow us into God's will, but will turn away from the Lord, and this to their own harm and the harm of others. Furthermore, ministry to the Lord can be marked by great hardship; however, integrity demands that we stay the course, no matter the difficulty of our situations. Below are a few examples of godly leaders whose leadership was rejected by others.      In Scripture, we learn Noah was faithful to the Lord and preached His Word for one hundred and twenty years with very minimal results (2 Pet 2:5), and God's judgment fell upon the world in a global deluge, with the result that only “eight persons were brought safely through the water” (1 Pet 3:20). The prophet Samuel was faithful to the Lord and tried to dissuade his generation from rejecting the Lord as their King, as they'd requested a human king in order that they might be like the other nations (1 Sam 8:4-17). But they rejected Samuel's leadership, and “the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, ‘No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations'” (1Sa 8:19-20a). God gave them Saul, a king after their own hearts, and the nation suffered.      Perhaps one of the most frustrating ministries found in Scripture is that of the prophet Isaiah. The prophet had heard the Lord's calling to ministry and accepted it wholeheartedly (Isa 6:8). Isaiah knew his generation needed to hear the Lord's Word, and perhaps hoped they'd respond in humility as he'd just responded to the Lord's vision in the temple (Isa 6:1-7). God informed Isaiah that his ministry would be met with negative volition. When God's people turned away from Him, choosing a path of darkness and closing their ears to His Word, He added to their blindness and deafness as a form of judgment (Isa 6:9-10). Isaiah's ministry to his people would result in a further hardening of their hearts. Hearing this difficult news, Isaiah asked, “Lord, how long?” (Isa 6:11a). The answer came from the Lord, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, houses are without people and the land is utterly desolate, the LORD has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land” (Isa 6:11b-12). But God, in His sovereignty and grace, would preserve a remnant of His people alive (Isa 6:13). According to Earl Radmacher, “The more the prophet would proclaim the word of God, the less response he would get from the people. This was a call to a discouraging ministry. In truth, the call of God is for faithfulness to Him, to His Word, and to the call itself.”[5] Warren Wiersbe offers a similar statement, saying, “God does not deliberately make sinners blind, deaf, and hard-hearted; but the more that people resist God's truth, the less able they are to receive God's truth. But the servant is to proclaim the Word no matter how people respond, for the test of ministry is not outward success but faithfulness to the Lord.”[6]      Jeremiah is another example of a godly servant who faithfully preached God's Word for twenty-three years, but his generation would not listen. Jeremiah said, “these twenty-three years the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened” (Jer 25:3). The result was that Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians and went into captivity in 586 B.C. Biblically, we know God is gracious, compassionate, and slow to anger (Neh 9:17; Psa 86:15; 103:8); however, His gentle qualities do not last forever, and when people persist in their sin and there is no hope of them turning to Him, His judgment falls (Psa 9:7-8; 96:13; Acts 17:31).      Of course, there's no greater display of leadership than our Lord Jesus, Who spoke perfect truth all the time and called others to trust in Him and to follow Him. Jesus repeatedly offered His kingdom to the nation (Matt 4:19; 10:7); yet, the majority of those who heard His message rejected Him (Matt 12:24; John 3:19; 12:37), and He pronounced judgment upon that generation (Matt 23:37-39). The result was that Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70 when the Romans attacked the city and destroyed the temple.      As God's people, we control the output of our message, but never the outcome. What the recipients do with God's Word is between them and the Lord. As God's children, we are to be faithful to learn His Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2), communicate it in love to others (Eph 4:15), and then let it do its work in the hearts of those who hear (Isa 55:10-11). However, we realize this will result in mixed outcomes, depending on the hearts of others. Charles Spurgeon said, “The same sun that softens wax also hardens clay.” By this he meant that God's Word, which gives light like the sun, has different effects depending on the material exposed to it. The reality is that some hearts are positive to God (wax) and these grow soft when exposed to the light of His Word, but other hearts are negative to God (clay) and exposure to His Word only makes them harder. As God's people, we are only responsible for our output of lifestyle and message, not the outcome of results. God measures our success by our willingness to submit to Him and our faithfulness to walk with Him moment by moment, learning His Word and doing His will. We want to be among those whom Jesus says, “Well done, good and faithful slave” (Matt 25:21a).   [1] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 266. [2] Earl S. Kalland, “Deuteronomy,” in The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 195. [3] Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 372. [4] Ibid., 373. [5] Earl D. Radmacher, et al., Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary, 814. [6] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Comforted, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 30.

This year I have promised and planned to publish a supplemental episode of one kind or another on the 7th of each month. So welcome to this January 7th extra podcast! Today I will do my best to convince you that the last 12 verses of Mark 16 shouldn't have brackets around them or footnotes that cast doubt on their authenticity. I believe that they are authentic Scripture inspired by God. Now, I try to stay away from saying anything controversial in the Daily Bible Reading Podcast series, and it kind of bothers me that here in this first Day 7 extra podcast of the year, I will say things that quite a few people with seminary training will consider leaning too much to the conservative side of the scale. But I feel constrained to be controversial now so I will come right out and say it: I believe what Moses (Deut. 8:3) and Jesus (Luk. 4:4) said: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word of God.” If we are to live by ‘every word', then it makes sense to me to believe that God would preserve every word for us. Please remember that all Bible translations were made by humans. This means that there is no such thing as a perfect Bible translation, as almost all good versions state in their prefaces. Even the KJV translators admitted this in their Preface. So I ask for your patient understanding as I set out a weakness in the NLT. The NLT has this at Mark 16:8: 8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.[c] c The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8. Other manuscripts include various endings to the Gospel. A few include both the “shorter ending” and the “longer ending.” The majority of manuscripts include the “longer ending” immediately after verse 8. Then with a sub-heading in bold and italic font: [The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.] [Shorter Ending of Mark] Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen. [Longer Ending of Mark] verses 9-20 … When you get to Day 26 you will note that I didn't read the shorter ending for the podcast. That ending has extremely thin support in ancient manuscripts, and where the words occur, the manuscripts often also have the longer ending, verses 9-20.   Some experts today think that Mark intended to end his Gospel with the words, “they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.” But this defies imagination! I don't think authors started using the type of endings where you leave-the-audience-hanging until centuries later, like perhaps just two centuries ago. Remember that Mark starts with the words, “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” Mark shows a pattern of telling the outcome for every miracle. He is not about to leave the main thesis of his story without its fulfillment. The fulfillment of the starting thesis is found in the next to last verse (16:19), which says, “19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand.” That verse is also an important doctrinal statement, since no other Gospel includes those words as part of the story of Jesus' resurrection. And the same verse very appropriately links Mark's Gospel with Peter's teaching in 1Peter 3:22. I believe that God has preserved His Word for us. Therefore it is unacceptable to me to say that the Holy Spirit would leave a whole book of the NT without a clear ending. We have two choices for the ending: One says the ladies didn't tell anyone because they were afraid. The other ends with Jesus at the right hand of God. Which one seems to be the proper ending to you?! The NLT has words in bold italics before Mark 16 verses 9-20 which say, “[The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.]” Well, how many manuscripts are we actually talking about with the words ‘The most ancient manuscripts'? Then the footnote says ‘later manuscripts add' the last 12 verses. What are the real numbers? Two of the very oldest manuscripts plus one other do not have the last 12 verses of Mark. But the manuscripts that include the last 12 verses number more than 1,650! 99.99% of ancient manuscripts contain the longer ending of Mark. The NLT also has a footnote that starts with “The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8.” But this statement is, in my opinion, totally false.  The two manuscripts they are talking about (Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) cannot be said to be ‘reliable'. They are, however, recognized as the very earliest, dated at 325 and 345. However, for Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus to be considered reliable, one would hope they would be reasonably consistent with one another. Instead they differ from one another in 3,036 places. I believe that early scribes recognized that they were defective, and this offers a plausible explanation for why there are no extant copies made from them. Many old-school ‘experts' (by that I mean seminary teachers from the mid-20th century) will say that the two oldest manuscripts outweigh all of the 1,650 other ancient manuscripts. But an increasing number of today's informed experts will not agree with the people I just called the ‘old-school experts'. Here are some points to consider: Both of the two oldest manuscripts I just mentioned have an odd blank space at the end of Mark, showing that the scribe realized the manuscript he was copying had something left out. This is called a ‘memorial space'. Such memorial spaces are found in various places in other ancient manuscripts. So even though the two manuscripts do not have the last 12 verses of Mark, the scribes telegraphed to us that they knew such an ending existed. Remember that Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus are from the early 4th century.  There are quotes of verses from Mark 16:9-20 by church fathers that predate those two manuscripts. Earlier support for the longer ending of Mark include “four second-century witnesses, and 99.9% of the [other ancient] Greek manuscripts, and 99.99% of the [ancient] Latin manuscripts, and 99.5% of the [ancient] Syriac manuscripts, and 40 Roman-era patristic writers.” (These statistics are quoted from Dr. James Snapp's article: https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2013/08/robert-stein-and-ending-of-mark.html) Codex Sinaiticus was discovered in 1844. This touched off a lot of excitement, and a revolutionary new text of the NT was published by Westscott and Hort in 1881. Please consider that there are multiple examples in history where excitement over new discoveries resulted in mistaken theories. For example, Darwin's theory of evolution from the same time period is now discredited. Just like you have university teachers still bone-headedly holding on to the theory of evolution, so the theories of Westscott and Hort are no longer upheld by many of today's experts but are still being repeated by seminary teachers. Westscott and Hort's faulty decisions about what verses are not authentic are still seen in today's Bibles. I'm sure that you will hear someone claim that the last 12 verses of Mark contain non-Markan vocabulary, but that assertion has been repeatedly disproved. Please see the resources for the podcast that I link at the end of today's episode notes. According to one ancient writer, Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome. It is likely that Mark or one of his friends made several copies of the first manuscript. Let's say that one stayed in Rome and was copied, and let's say that four other copies were sent toward the north, south, east and west. Each copy was painstakingly copied by hand over and over again and sent to an ever-widening circle of locations until the Gospel arrived all over the ancient world. Each scribe worked independently to copy the text of an earlier manuscript. 1650 manuscripts could not have the last 12 verses of Mark if the verses had not come from the first papyrus copy written by Mark. The Greek text of the New Testament that is the direct descendant of the Westscott and Hort 1881 text is published now in various editions of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, and also published as the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament. There are, of course, slight changes in these editions coming down to the present day. But even today, the main text is still remarkably similar to the 1881 text by Westscott and Hort. These texts are referred to collectively as the Critical Text or the Eclectic Text. Most of our English Bible translations of the last century have been based on that text, including NASB, GNT, NLT, NIV, and ESV. It is for that reason that you will find faith-destroying footnotes in them. By ‘faith-destroying', I mean that thinking readers ask, “If whole verses could disappear and marr the conclusion of Mark's Gospel, how many other corruptions might there be in the New Testament?” Opponents of Christianity seize on such things to say that the Bible text is not reliable. Islamic people frequently repeat that criticism. It is for that reason that our New Testament translation into the Indonesian language is based on the Majority or Byzantine Text. The Majority Text is not the same as the text that was the basis of the KJV, but it is similar to it. I am so pleased that I can announce that at the end of 2022 Adam Boyd published his Text Critical English New Testament, which is an English translation of the Majority/Byzantine Text. (You can get this for free. I have included links to this and other resources at the end of the episode notes.) This is a real game changer because at last modern scholarship is able to give us accurate statistics about the percentage of manuscript support for variants in the Greek text. (The collating of manuscripts is still in process, and the percentages will continue to increase in accuracy.) Let me give you two short examples. It would help if you could open your Bible to Mark 1 and also open ebible.org/study/ on your computer and navigate to Mark 1. You will see two columns for Scripture. Put the TCENT in the first column and the NASB in the second column. You will see that both translations give the first verse as “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” But click the superscript footnote at the word ‘Christ' in the TCENT. It shows that 98.2% of the manuscripts have the last words, “the Son of God.” No matter what translation you are holding, it is likely that verse 1 ends with “the Son of God. Move to verse 2. The NASB starts with, “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,” whereas the TCENT begins with “As it is written in the prophets.” Which is right? The footnote in the TCENT shows us that 96.2% of ancient manuscripts say ‘in the prophets'. Only 1.3% of manuscripts say ‘Isaiah the prophet'. Well now look at the NASB and you will see a superscript cross reference symbol at the start of the quote. The quote in the last two lines of verse 2 is not from Isaiah, but from Malachi! (The quote in verse 3 is from Isaiah.) So the Majority Text is proved right. The NASB chose to follow the Critical Text. But at the time the NASB was translated, they would not have known that their translation was supported by only 1.3% of the manuscripts. I hope that finding a weakness in your printed Bible doesn't upset your belief in God preserving his Word. He has preserved his Word, and we humans have a persistent habit of messing things up. If you follow the links at the end of today's episode notes, you can find some good literal translations of the Majority/Byzantine Text. But unfortunately, we still do not have a good meaning-based translation of that text that rivals the NLT or GNT for understandability. We'll keep on with the NLT and GNT podcasts for now. But please join me in prayer that an easy-to-utderstand translation of the Majority Text will soon be made! Wow, what a difficult topic this is! If you have listened to this point, I thank you! Normally my extra podcasts on the 7th day of each month will not deal with such complicated topics! Until next time, may the Lord bless you ‘real good'.   Resources: Please consider supporting the work of James Snapp by buying and reading his 400-page book entitled Authentic: The Case for Mark 16:9-20: 2016 Edition. The Kindle book is only 99 cents. https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Case-Mark-9-20-2016-ebook/dp/B01EU1OR9O Phil Fields, 2019, Playing ‘Follow the Leader' in Bible Translation: https://map.bloomfire.com/posts/3446975-playing-follow-the-leader-in-bible-translation Phil Fields, 2020, EveryWord podcast 005: https://dailybiblereading.libsyn.com/website/everyword005-mark-16 Please follow that last link to find the supplemental PDF for that episode containing an essay on the ending of Mark by Dr. Wilbur Pickering, plus two other articles. (The last one deals with Markan vocabulary.) Adam Boyd, 2022, Text Critical Greek New Testament (TCGNG) and Text Critical English New Testament (TCENT): https://byzantinetext.com/study/translations/ https://ebible.org/bible/details.php?id=engtcent&all=1 https://ebible.org/bible/details.php?id=grctcgnt This page has a downloadable PDF of the Introduction to the TCGNT: https://alkitabkita.info/bahasa-sumber-alkitab/    (Scroll down the page until you see the PDF file displayed in a box.) You will need the information in the Introduction to understand the abbreviations in the TCENT/TCGNT footnotes. My favorite way to access the TCENT using this nifty online study app provided by ebible.org: https://ebible.org/study/ You can also easily access the Introduction at the top of the book menu. (Click on the zero.)

This year I have promised and planned to publish a supplemental episode of one kind or another on the 7th of each month. So welcome to this January 7th extra podcast! Today I will do my best to convince you that the last 12 verses of Mark 16 shouldn't have brackets around them or footnotes that cast doubt on their authenticity. I believe that they are authentic Scripture inspired by God. Now, I try to stay away from saying anything controversial in the Daily Bible Reading Podcast series, and it kind of bothers me that here in this first Day 7 extra podcast of the year, I will say things that quite a few people with seminary training will consider leaning too much to the conservative side of the scale. But I feel constrained to be controversial now so I will come right out and say it: I believe what Moses (Deut. 8:3) and Jesus (Luk. 4:4) said: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word of God.” If we are to live by ‘every word', then it makes sense to me to believe that God would preserve every word for us. Please remember that all Bible translations were made by humans. This means that there is no such thing as a perfect Bible translation, as almost all good versions state in their prefaces. Even the KJV translators admitted this in their Preface. So I ask for your patient understanding as I set out a weakness in the NLT. The NLT has this at Mark 16:8: 8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.[c] c The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8. Other manuscripts include various endings to the Gospel. A few include both the “shorter ending” and the “longer ending.” The majority of manuscripts include the “longer ending” immediately after verse 8. Then with a sub-heading in bold and italic font: [The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.] [Shorter Ending of Mark] Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen. [Longer Ending of Mark] verses 9-20 … When you get to Day 26 you will note that I didn't read the shorter ending for the podcast. That ending has extremely thin support in ancient manuscripts, and where the words occur, the manuscripts often also have the longer ending, verses 9-20.   Some experts today think that Mark intended to end his Gospel with the words, “they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.” But this defies imagination! I don't think authors started using the type of endings where you leave-the-audience-hanging until centuries later, like perhaps just two centuries ago. Remember that Mark starts with the words, “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” Mark shows a pattern of telling the outcome for every miracle. He is not about to leave the main thesis of his story without its fulfillment. The fulfillment of the starting thesis is found in the next to last verse (16:19), which says, “19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand.” That verse is also an important doctrinal statement, since no other Gospel includes those words as part of the story of Jesus' resurrection. And the same verse very appropriately links Mark's Gospel with Peter's teaching in 1Peter 3:22. I believe that God has preserved His Word for us. Therefore it is unacceptable to me to say that the Holy Spirit would leave a whole book of the NT without a clear ending. We have two choices for the ending: One says the ladies didn't tell anyone because they were afraid. The other ends with Jesus at the right hand of God. Which one seems to be the proper ending to you?! The NLT has words in bold italics before Mark 16 verses 9-20 which say, “[The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.]” Well, how many manuscripts are we actually talking about with the words ‘The most ancient manuscripts'? Then the footnote says ‘later manuscripts add' the last 12 verses. What are the real numbers? Two of the very oldest manuscripts plus one other do not have the last 12 verses of Mark. But the manuscripts that include the last 12 verses number more than 1,650! 99.99% of ancient manuscripts contain the longer ending of Mark. The NLT also has a footnote that starts with “The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8.” But this statement is, in my opinion, totally false.  The two manuscripts they are talking about (Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) cannot be said to be ‘reliable'. They are, however, recognized as the very earliest, dated at 325 and 345. However, for Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus to be considered reliable, one would hope they would be reasonably consistent with one another. Instead they differ from one another in 3,036 places. I believe that early scribes recognized that they were defective, and this offers a plausible explanation for why there are no extant copies made from them. Many old-school ‘experts' (by that I mean seminary teachers from the mid-20th century) will say that the two oldest manuscripts outweigh all of the 1,650 other ancient manuscripts. But an increasing number of today's informed experts will not agree with the people I just called the ‘old-school experts'. Here are some points to consider: Both of the two oldest manuscripts I just mentioned have an odd blank space at the end of Mark, showing that the scribe realized the manuscript he was copying had something left out. This is called a ‘memorial space'. Such memorial spaces are found in various places in other ancient manuscripts. So even though the two manuscripts do not have the last 12 verses of Mark, the scribes telegraphed to us that they knew such an ending existed. Remember that Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus are from the early 4th century.  There are quotes of verses from Mark 16:9-20 by church fathers that predate those two manuscripts. Earlier support for the longer ending of Mark include “four second-century witnesses, and 99.9% of the [other ancient] Greek manuscripts, and 99.99% of the [ancient] Latin manuscripts, and 99.5% of the [ancient] Syriac manuscripts, and 40 Roman-era patristic writers.” (These statistics are quoted from Dr. James Snapp's article: https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2013/08/robert-stein-and-ending-of-mark.html) Codex Sinaiticus was discovered in 1844. This touched off a lot of excitement, and a revolutionary new text of the NT was published by Westscott and Hort in 1881. Please consider that there are multiple examples in history where excitement over new discoveries resulted in mistaken theories. For example, Darwin's theory of evolution from the same time period is now discredited. Just like you have university teachers still bone-headedly holding on to the theory of evolution, so the theories of Westscott and Hort are no longer upheld by many of today's experts but are still being repeated by seminary teachers. Westscott and Hort's faulty decisions about what verses are not authentic are still seen in today's Bibles. I'm sure that you will hear someone claim that the last 12 verses of Mark contain non-Markan vocabulary, but that assertion has been repeatedly disproved. Please see the resources for the podcast that I link at the end of today's episode notes. According to one ancient writer, Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome. It is likely that Mark or one of his friends made several copies of the first manuscript. Let's say that one stayed in Rome and was copied, and let's say that four other copies were sent toward the north, south, east and west. Each copy was painstakingly copied by hand over and over again and sent to an ever-widening circle of locations until the Gospel arrived all over the ancient world. Each scribe worked independently to copy the text of an earlier manuscript. 1650 manuscripts could not have the last 12 verses of Mark if the verses had not come from the first papyrus copy written by Mark. The Greek text of the New Testament that is the direct descendant of the Westscott and Hort 1881 text is published now in various editions of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, and also published as the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament. There are, of course, slight changes in these editions coming down to the present day. But even today, the main text is still remarkably similar to the 1881 text by Westscott and Hort. These texts are referred to collectively as the Critical Text or the Eclectic Text. Most of our English Bible translations of the last century have been based on that text, including NASB, GNT, NLT, NIV, and ESV. It is for that reason that you will find faith-destroying footnotes in them. By ‘faith-destroying', I mean that thinking readers ask, “If whole verses could disappear and marr the conclusion of Mark's Gospel, how many other corruptions might there be in the New Testament?” Opponents of Christianity seize on such things to say that the Bible text is not reliable. Islamic people frequently repeat that criticism. It is for that reason that our New Testament translation into the Indonesian language is based on the Majority or Byzantine Text. The Majority Text is not the same as the text that was the basis of the KJV, but it is similar to it. I am so pleased that I can announce that at the end of 2022 Adam Boyd published his Text Critical English New Testament, which is an English translation of the Majority/Byzantine Text. (You can get this for free. I have included links to this and other resources at the end of the episode notes.) This is a real game changer because at last modern scholarship is able to give us accurate statistics about the percentage of manuscript support for variants in the Greek text. (The collating of manuscripts is still in process, and the percentages will continue to increase in accuracy.) Let me give you two short examples. It would help if you could open your Bible to Mark 1 and also open ebible.org/study/ on your computer and navigate to Mark 1. You will see two columns for Scripture. Put the TCENT in the first column and the NASB in the second column. You will see that both translations give the first verse as “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” But click the superscript footnote at the word ‘Christ' in the TCENT. It shows that 98.2% of the manuscripts have the last words, “the Son of God.” No matter what translation you are holding, it is likely that verse 1 ends with “the Son of God. Move to verse 2. The NASB starts with, “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,” whereas the TCENT begins with “As it is written in the prophets.” Which is right? The footnote in the TCENT shows us that 96.2% of ancient manuscripts say ‘in the prophets'. Only 1.3% of manuscripts say ‘Isaiah the prophet'. Well now look at the NASB and you will see a superscript cross reference symbol at the start of the quote. The quote in the last two lines of verse 2 is not from Isaiah, but from Malachi! (The quote in verse 3 is from Isaiah.) So the Majority Text is proved right. The NASB chose to follow the Critical Text. But at the time the NASB was translated, they would not have known that their translation was supported by only 1.3% of the manuscripts. I hope that finding a weakness in your printed Bible doesn't upset your belief in God preserving his Word. He has preserved his Word, and we humans have a persistent habit of messing things up. If you follow the links at the end of today's episode notes, you can find some good literal translations of the Majority/Byzantine Text. But unfortunately, we still do not have a good meaning-based translation of that text that rivals the NLT or GNT for understandability. We'll keep on with the NLT and GNT podcasts for now. But please join me in prayer that an easy-to-utderstand translation of the Majority Text will soon be made! Wow, what a difficult topic this is! If you have listened to this point, I thank you! Normally my extra podcasts on the 7th day of each month will not deal with such complicated topics! Until next time, may the Lord bless you ‘real good'.   Resources: Please consider supporting the work of James Snapp by buying and reading his 400-page book entitled Authentic: The Case for Mark 16:9-20: 2016 Edition. The Kindle book is only 99 cents. https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Case-Mark-9-20-2016-ebook/dp/B01EU1OR9O Phil Fields, 2019, Playing ‘Follow the Leader' in Bible Translation: https://map.bloomfire.com/posts/3446975-playing-follow-the-leader-in-bible-translation Phil Fields, 2020, EveryWord podcast 005: https://dailybiblereading.libsyn.com/website/everyword005-mark-16 Please follow that last link to find the supplemental PDF for that episode containing an essay on the ending of Mark by Dr. Wilbur Pickering, plus two other articles. (The last one deals with Markan vocabulary.) Adam Boyd, 2022, Text Critical Greek New Testament (TCGNG) and Text Critical English New Testament (TCENT): https://byzantinetext.com/study/translations/ https://ebible.org/bible/details.php?id=engtcent&all=1 https://ebible.org/bible/details.php?id=grctcgnt This page has a downloadable PDF of the Introduction to the TCGNT: https://alkitabkita.info/bahasa-sumber-alkitab/    (Scroll down the page until you see the PDF file displayed in a box.) You will need the information in the Introduction to understand the abbreviations in the TCENT/TCGNT footnotes. My favorite way to access the TCENT using this nifty online study app provided by ebible.org: https://ebible.org/study/ You can also easily access the Introduction at the top of the book menu. (Click on the zero.)

December 22, 2022 - Awaiting a Greater Moses | Deut 18, 34 by Trinity Hinsdale

Relevant Verses: Deut. 4:5-8; 13-14; 5:22-33 Leading Question: “What would lead the Sabbath School lesson editors to include a lesson on ‘resurrections before the cross' in this quarter's line-up? This is a wonderful collection of stories. I was powerfully moved as I read through them. I think it would be helpful and interesting simply to read them and comment on what we found particularly helpful, moving, inspiring, or intriguing. Moses: Deut. 34:5-7, Jude 9; Luke 9: 28-36 Deut. 34:5-7 (NIV) And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. 6 He buried him in Moab, in the ...

THE IDENTITY of the 144,000 men who appear in Revelation 7 and again in Revelation 14 has been debated for the last two millennia. We talk about the difference between being sealed by God and marked by the Beast, which seems to be more like the brand used on cattle. We also revisit our discussion of who the 144,000 are and why Dan and Ephraim are not among the tribes of Israel in Rev. 7:5–8. As early as the mid-second century AD, Christian theologians like Irenaeus and Hippolytus, citing Jeremiah 8:16–17, believed that the Antichrist would come from the tribe of Dan. The prophecies of Jacob (Gen. 49:17) and Moses (Deut. 33:22) over Dan, likening the tribe to a serpent and “a lion's cub that leaps from Bashan,” the land of the dead, contribute to this interpretation. John's vision of the 144,000 with the Lamb (Jesus) on Mount Zion is surely a glimpse of the spirit realms, since Jesus does not return to Earth until Revelation 19 at the battle of Armageddon. This suggests that the 144,000 sealed by God will be martyred during the Great Tribulation.

Up to this point in Revelation the seven seals have been opened and six trumpets have sounded, and two woes have taken place. Now we are looking at the middle of the Seven-year Tribulation which begins with giving us more detail about the first three and half years of it. As we have already noted, we believe that these two witnesses minister during the first half of the Tribulation (Rev. 11:3; 1,260 days). Jerusalem is then overrun by the Gentiles for forty-two months (Rev. 11:2), the last half of the Tribulation. These two men, “witnesses”, are specifically called prophets (Rev. 11:3, 6), and I take this to mean prophetic ministry in the Old Testament sense, calling the nations to repent and return to the true God of Israel. While it is impossible to be dogmatic about the specific identity of these two preachers, there are a number of reasons that suggest that they may be Moses and Elijah. First, the miracles they will perform (destroying their enemies with fire, withholding rain, turning water into blood, and striking the earth with plagues) are similar to the judgments inflicted in the Old Testament by Moses and Elijah for the purpose of stimulating repentance. Elijah called down fire from heaven (2 Kings 1:10, 12) and pronounced a three-and-one-half-year drought on the land (1 Kings 17:1; James 5:17)—the same length as the drought brought by the two witnesses (Rev. 11:6). Moses turned the waters of the Nile into blood (Ex. 7:17-21) and announced the other plagues on Egypt recorded in Exodus chapters 7-12. Second, both the Old Testament and Jewish tradition expected Moses and Elijah to return in the future. Malachi 4:5 predicted the return of Elijah, and the Jews believed that God's promise to raise up a prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18) necessitated his return (cf. John 1:21; 6:14; 7:40). Jesus' statement in Matthew 11:14 that "if you are willing to accept it, John [the Baptist] himself is Elijah who was to come" does not necessarily preclude Elijah's future return. Since the Jews did not accept Jesus, John did not fulfill that prophecy. He came "in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). Third, both Moses and Elijah (perhaps representing the Law and the Prophets) appeared with Christ at the Transfiguration, the preview of the Second Coming (Matt. 17:3). Fourth, both left the earth in unusual ways. Elijah never died, but was transported to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11-12), and God supernaturally buried Moses' body in a secret location (Deut. 34:5-6; Jude 9). Since the text does not specifically identify these two preachers, the view defended above, like all other views regarding their identity, must remain speculation. Interestingly, J. Vernon McGee, with Thru the Bible Ministries, speculated and believed that these two witnesses are Elijah and John the Baptist. Instead of relating the ministry of the witnesses to Moses and Elijah, the angel who spoke to John connected their ministry with Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest (Zech. 4). These two men helped to reestablish Israel in Palestine and to rebuild the temple. It was a discouraging task, and the Gentiles made it even more difficult; but God provided the special power they needed to get the work done. Every day the news reminds us that everything is setting up for these end time events to happen! We also need to be witnesses that proclaim God's truth about the coming judgements and plead with people to repent and receive God's offer of salvation through Jesus Christ!

Listen in as Pastor shares from Deuteronomy.

I. Genuine Believers fear God and turn away from evil (13) 1. Job (28:12, 23, 28) a. Wisdom = fear the Lord b. Understanding = know and avoid evil 2. Moses (Deut. 4:5-6, 32:28-29) a. If keep God’s statutes, then your wisdom, understanding observed by watching Gentiles 3. Solomon (Prov. 4:13-26) a. Wise, Understanding man will be blessed: long life, riches, honor, peace, eternal life, happiness II. Pretenders deceive themselves and others that they are Christians (14-16); 1. Bad Seed: Pretenders embrace earthly, fleshly and demonic wisdom (15) 2. Corrupt Root: Pretender’s heart will be motivated by bitter jealousy, selfish ambition (14) 3. Rotten Fruit: Pretenders will reap a life of disorder, every evil thing (16)

I. Genuine Believers fear God and turn away from evil (13) 1. Job (28:12, 23, 28) a. Wisdom = fear the Lord b. Understanding = know and avoid evil 2. Moses (Deut. 4:5-6, 32:28-29) a. If keep God’s statutes, then your wisdom, understanding observed by watching Gentiles 3. Solomon (Prov. 4:13-26) a. Wise, Understanding man will be blessed: long life, riches, honor, peace, eternal life, happiness II. Pretenders deceive themselves and others that they are Christians (14-16); 1. Bad Seed: Pretenders embrace earthly, fleshly and demonic wisdom (15) 2. Corrupt Root: Pretender’s heart will be motivated by bitter jealousy, selfish ambition (14) 3. Rotten Fruit: Pretenders will reap a life of disorder, every evil thing (16)

I. Genuine Believers fear God and turn away from evil (13) 1. Job (28:12, 23, 28) a. Wisdom = fear the Lord b. Understanding = know and avoid evil 2. Moses (Deut. 4:5-6, 32:28-29) a. If keep God’s statutes, then your wisdom, understanding observed by watching Gentiles 3. Solomon (Prov. 4:13-26) a. Wise, Understanding man will be blessed: long life, riches, honor, peace, eternal life, happiness II. Pretenders deceive themselves and others that they are Christians (14-16); 1. Bad Seed: Pretenders embrace earthly, fleshly and demonic wisdom (15) 2. Corrupt Root: Pretender’s heart will be motivated by bitter jealousy, selfish ambition (14) 3. Rotten Fruit: Pretenders will reap a life of disorder, every evil thing (16)

I. Genuine Believers fear God and turn away from evil (13) 1. Job (28:12, 23, 28) a. Wisdom = fear the Lord b. Understanding = know and avoid evil 2. Moses (Deut. 4:5-6, 32:28-29) a. If keep God’s statutes, then your wisdom, understanding observed by watching Gentiles 3. Solomon (Prov. 4:13-26) a. Wise, Understanding man will be blessed: long life, riches, honor, peace, eternal life, happiness II. Pretenders deceive themselves and others that they are Christians (14-16); 1. Bad Seed: Pretenders embrace earthly, fleshly and demonic wisdom (15) 2. Corrupt Root: Pretender’s heart will be motivated by bitter jealousy, selfish ambition (14) 3. Rotten Fruit: Pretenders will reap a life of disorder, every evil thing (16)

I. Genuine Believers fear God and turn away from evil (13) 1. Job (28:12, 23, 28) a. Wisdom = fear the Lord b. Understanding = know and avoid evil 2. Moses (Deut. 4:5-6, 32:28-29) a. If keep God’s statutes, then your wisdom, understanding observed by watching Gentiles 3. Solomon (Prov. 4:13-26) a. Wise, Understanding man will be blessed: long life, riches, honor, peace, eternal life, happiness II. Pretenders deceive themselves and others that they are Christians (14-16); 1. Bad Seed: Pretenders embrace earthly, fleshly and demonic wisdom (15) 2. Corrupt Root: Pretender’s heart will be motivated by bitter jealousy, selfish ambition (14) 3. Rotten Fruit: Pretenders will reap a life of disorder, every evil thing (16)

I. Genuine Believers fear God and turn away from evil (13) 1. Job (28:12, 23, 28) a. Wisdom = fear the Lord b. Understanding = know and avoid evil 2. Moses (Deut. 4:5-6, 32:28-29) a. If keep God’s statutes, then your wisdom, understanding observed by watching Gentiles 3. Solomon (Prov. 4:13-26) a. Wise, Understanding man will be blessed: long life, riches, honor, peace, eternal life, happiness II. Pretenders deceive themselves and others that they are Christians (14-16); 1. Bad Seed: Pretenders embrace earthly, fleshly and demonic wisdom (15) 2. Corrupt Root: Pretender’s heart will be motivated by bitter jealousy, selfish ambition (14) 3. Rotten Fruit: Pretenders will reap a life of disorder, every evil thing (16)

I. Genuine Believers fear God and turn away from evil (13) 1. Job (28:12, 23, 28) a. Wisdom = fear the Lord b. Understanding = know and avoid evil 2. Moses (Deut. 4:5-6, 32:28-29) a. If keep God’s statutes, then your wisdom, understanding observed by watching Gentiles 3. Solomon (Prov. 4:13-26) a. Wise, Understanding man will be blessed: long life, riches, honor, peace, eternal life, happiness II. Pretenders deceive themselves and others that they are Christians (14-16); 1. Bad Seed: Pretenders embrace earthly, fleshly and demonic wisdom (15) 2. Corrupt Root: Pretender’s heart will be motivated by bitter jealousy, selfish ambition (14) 3. Rotten Fruit: Pretenders will reap a life of disorder, every evil thing (16)

Subject: The Whole Story of Reality Speaker or Performer: Pastor Kyle Streun Scripture Passage(s): Deuteronomy 18:15-17 Date of Delivery: April 18, 2021 Thank your for joining us today. The notes for the sermon are below.Jesus is better than Moses because...1. His law can transform us.2. He loves us unconditionally.3. He bridges the gap between God and us.So what do I do?1. Remember (Deuteronomy 6:12)- Your slavery to sin.- That you've been delivered!- The grace of God who saved you.2. Cling to the Word (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

Jan 24 2021 - Sunday AM Bible Class   JOHN, THE GOSPEL OF BELIEF, CHAPTERS FOURTEEN thru SIXTEEN (Comfort for the Disciples, Jesus Responds to Phillip, The Promise of the Holy Spirit, The Vine and the Branches, The World will Hate Disciples, The Work of the Holy Spirit, The Grief of the Disciples Would be Turned to Joy)   CHAPTER FOURTEEN VERSES ONE thru SIX (Comfort for the Disciples)   In a general sense Jesus’ mission was one to rescue the lost both in this life and for the life to come. The Spirit would reveal all needful things for the Messianic Age and these three chapters have that as an overarching emphasis. The Holy Spirit would allow the essence of Jesus to return through the seed of the word to live in the hearts of Christians. Loving obedience is at the heart of Christianity. Encouraging words were commonly given by God at times of trial (cf. Deut. 1:21; Josh. 1:9; II Kgs. 25:24; Isa. 10:24). The “heart” represented to a Jew the center of both the will and the emotions. The translation “believe” in verse one carries the idea of trust, always a vital component of believing. The familiar “many mansions” is actually a poor translation; literally the thought is “many rooms.” As families grew in Jewish culture, rooms would commonly be added to homes to accommodate the additional family members. A compound around a courtyard would have been an idea understood by most. Additionally, the Greco-Roman culture had similar constructions where rooms were built within terraces and pools with beautiful flowers and trees added for additional enjoyment. There would be plenty of room in the Father’s house for all His children, and Jesus would personally prepare each place (cf. Deut. 1:29-33). Jesus would come back to gather His own (cf. Jn. 21:22-23; I Thess. 4:16-17). If these things were not so, Jesus would never have given such a hope (cf. Mk. 12:14). Jesus emphasized three important characteristics of His essential relationship to salvation: the way, the truth, and the life. Early Christians were said to be followers of the “way,” indicating the manner of life that defined them (cf. Jn. 13:34-35). “Truth” speaks to the point of a standard that sets Christians apart (cf. Jn. 17:17). “Life” indicates that Jesus is the only source of eternal life (cf. Jn. 11:25-26). As in the pluralistic climate of Jesus’ world, so also in our day, exclusivity is a stark, unpopular thing (cf. Acts 4:12).   CHAPTER FOURTEEN VERSES SEVEN thru FOURTEEN (Jesus Responds to Philip)   Knowledge of God and the intimacy it allowed were highly valued among the Jews (cf. Ps. 46:10; 100:3). Jesus associated knowing God with eternal life (Jn. 17:3). Seeing God was tied to the greatest of blessings (cf. Ex. 33:18; Isa. 6:1; 40:5). Philip had missed the point, but he was not alone; few of the disciples came to see the point quickly. To imagine God standing before them as a man was astounding! o To define God in such a practical, earthy manner as the word that became flesh, this was amazing. Such a definition demanded much—life could now be seen in an everyday reality, the application of which could hardly be ignored or avoided. Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to Moses to raise up a prophet in whom God would place the completeness of His word (Deut. 18:18). The acts Jesus preformed in His life could be interpreted no other way but that He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. Those who followed Jesus would, according to Jesus, do even greater works than He had done—but how could this be? For one thing, following work would be based of the finished work of Christ on the cross, thus allowing advanced achievements (cf. Jn. 12:24; 15:13; 19:30). Additionally, subsequent accomplishments would come within the context of the Messianic Kingdom, the most significant earthly age (cf. Matt. 11:11). Jesus intersession in prayer would be another benefit. Also, the spiritual union Jesus speaks of in John 15:1-11 would only be possible in the age to come. All of these “greater works,” we must also remember, are accomplished only by Jesus working in Christians—He remains the power (Eph. 3:1921).   CHAPTER FOURTEEN VERSES FIFTEEN thru THIRTY-ONE (The Promise of the Holy Spirit)   The key ingredient in all that Jesus would project into the coming age centered on the implications of love (cf. Jn. 13:34-35). To love Jesus is the surest guarantee of our following His will (cf. Jn. 14:21, 23; 15:10; I Jn. 5:3; II Jn. 6). Thus, if Christianity is to succeed, Jesus must be known so He can be loved so He will be obeyed. In addition to Himself (cf. I Jn. 2:1-2), Jesus would send another “Comforter.” The term “Comforter,” could also be translated by words such as, “counselor, advocate, and helper.” o It comes from the Greek parakletos, literally meaning “One called beside.” Commonly the word would have been used in the context of a legal assistant. The verb form of the word was used in the Septuagent rendering of Isaiah 40:1 where the Messianic era is addressed. The Rabbis made strong association between obedience and advocacy. This Comforter would also be known as the “Spirit of Truth.” These words were familiar among the rabbis in first century Judaism, “Two spirits await an opportunity with humanity, the spirit of truth and the spirit of error … (Testament of Judah 20:1-5). Nevertheless, while the words had a familiar ring, the concept intended by Jesus was different in intention The Jewish idea was one expressing the dualism existing between good and evil choices. For Jesus, these words referred to deity, to a manifestation of God. A most intriguing statement is found in John 14:18, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” o Compare to the parting words of Moses (Deut. 31:6; cf. Josh. 1:5; Heb. 13:5). The term “orphan” could actually be applied in Jesus’ culture to a disciple left without a master. The followers of Socrates expressed his passing in terms of being left as orphans. Here, however, there is a very interesting twist. Jesus is not simply speaking of His departing and sending them the Comforter. Jesus said He would come back to them! This could not mean His resurrection since He would stay with them but forty days. His intention is to let them know that He will return to abide with them through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn. 14:23; Jn. 15:1-11). o Unlike some of the promises made in John 14-16 that apply only to the Apostles, this one is for all believers—all who lovingly obey the words of the Spirit of Truth. Jesus’ disclosure would be only to the people who would know, love, and obey Him—the world would never see Jesus in this way (cf. I Cor. 2:10-16). John 14:23 is the only place where Father and Son are combined in indwelling. o Jesus is mentioned on other occasions (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:17). o The Spirit also is referenced (Rom. 8:9, 11; I Cor. 3:16). In the Old Covenant God dwelt with the people in the tabernacle and the temple (Ex. 25:8; 29:45; Lev. 26:11-12; Acts 7:46-47). In the New Covenant God dwells in believers (I Cor. 6:19; II Cor. 6:16; cf. I Pet. 2:5)! Jesus phrase “These things I have spoken to you,” from John 14:25 is repeated in 15:11; 16:1, 4, 6, 25, 33. He draws on the trust He had developed with them. His word can be fully accepted and relied on. All things needful for the Christian Age would be revealed by the Holy Spirit as well as recalling things that might have been forgotten (cf. Jude 3; cf. Neh. 9:20). This promise was for the Apostles and the Apostolic Age as the Apostles were subject to forgetting their experiences with Jesus. Succeeding generations would have no such experiences to forget. Jesus promises to leave the Apostles with His “peace.” o The word for peace in Greek is eirene, a word with a primarily negative meaning—the absence of war. However, a Hebrew idea is behind this word when spoken by Semitic people—positive blessings and brotherhood (cf. Jud. 3:11, 30; 5:31; 8:29; Num. 6:24-26; cf. Ps. 29:11; Hag. 2:9). The idea of peace was prominent in the Old Testament prophets (Zech. 9:10; cf. 14:9; Isa. 52:7; 54:13; 57:19; Ezek. 37:26; cf. Acts 10:36). Jesus’ peace is not what the world commonly covets (cf. Matt. 10:3439). Jesus’ peace is grounded in the hearts of believers and is secured in the unshakable courts of Heaven itself (Heb. 12:28; Eph. 1:3; cf. Rom. 8:31-39). Jesus declared, “The Father is greater than I,” what did He mean? o Jesus had emptied Himself to come to earth as a man (Phil. 2:6-7). o Also, even in Jesus’ return to Heaven with His full attributes of divinity restored (cf. Jn. 17:5), He was still submissive to the Father (I Cor. 15:25-28; 11:3). There is a hierarchy in the Godhead that is not of superiority (cf. Col. 2:9; Jn. 10:30), but of place (Jn. 13:16). In this the Father occupies the first place. I do not understand all there is to this, but then I really don’t ever expect fully to understand God. Satan has no claim on Jesus—Jesus never sinned! As we are found in Jesus, Satan has no claim on us (Rom. 8:31-39)! Now Jesus will leave the upper room and journey out of the city of Jerusalem.      CHAPTER FIFTEEN VERSES ONE thru SEVEN-TEEN (The Vine and the Branches)   A disciple’s life is tied to Jesus for all things he or she needs. If we live like Jesus lived, the world will react to us as it did to Jesus—this will result in a general hatred from all those who do not want to come to the light. The Holy Spirit supplied all truth for all earthly time. The death of Jesus in His crucifixion led to great gain, as true peace can come only from Jesus. The imagery of vine and branches was common in the secular world as well as in the religious metaphors of Judaism (cf. Isa. 5:1-7; 27:2-6; Jer. 2:21; 6:9; 12:1013; Ezek. 15:1-8; 17:5-10; 19:10-14; Hos. 10:1-2; 14:7). Whereas in Israel’s past they had commonly born bad fruit, Jesus was the true vine who produced what the nation had failed to produce (cf. Ps. 80:14-17). Jesus intends to establish an intimate relationship with all His followers (cf. Jn. 10). In Intertestamental Judaism, the vine had become a symbol of wisdom. The significant rabbinic school of R. Yohanan ben Zakkai was known as the “vineyard.” The Father is the “gardener,” the one who tends the vineyard through all stages of development. “Pruning” would involve cutting the vine back in winter so that it might grow more rapidly in the spring. Additionally, the branches that did not produce would be removed to allow those producing to get more nourishment. One thing we learn from this is that unproductive Christians hold back the growth of the church. This entire process of spiritual growth in a disciple cannot occur unless the disciple and Jesus are closely linked together. Christians can be removed from Jesus if they are unfaithful (cf. Ezek. 15:1-8; 19:12); we can fall from grace (Gal. 4). True joy is found only in Jesus (cf. Acts 13:52; Rom. 15:13; II Tim. 1:4). The true test of friendship in the various cultures of Jesus day was said to be found in the giving of one’s life for a friend. Jesus went beyond the accepted standard of love by dying for even His enemies (cf. Rom. 5:6-11). Jesus had a very practical way of defining His friends, they did what He said (cf. Jn. 14:15). Friendship goes beyond being a servant by adding a dimension to a relationship that is deeper and more satisfying—this allows for a greater degree of sharing. The choice of friendship with God is ultimately a matter of God’s doing; apart from His grace their can be no relationship. With the privilege of friendship goes the responsibility of being productive. It is in the context of loving, knowledgeable service God hears and answers our prayers.   CHAPTER FIFTEEN VERSES EIGHTEEN thru CHAPTER SIXTEEN VERSE FOUR (The World will Hate Disciples)   Since the world will largely reject Christianity, it is imperative that Christians love each other. Early Christians we accused of being insurrectionists (claiming there is only one way), cannibals (eating the body and blood of Jesus at Communion), immoral (love feasts and the “holy” kiss), arsonists (teaching the world would be burned up), and disruptive in family relationships (when a family member became a Christian despite family opposition). The words of those who follow God are to bring a response similar to if God Himself had spoken (cf. I Sam. 8:7; Ezek. 3:7). Jesus name would be preached in opposition to Roman Emperors (i.e., Domitian required being addressed as “dominus et dues,” Lord and God, yet there was no true cause for hating Jesus (cf. Ps. 69:4). The Helper, or Holy Spirit, would be sent to assist the Apostles in a special way as they stood up to those who would try to stop their message. They had no choice but to speak boldly for Jesus (cf. Acts 4:17-20). Jesus’ comforting assurances to His Apostles would be especially helpful in the coming times of persecution. Discipleship, especially with such visible men as the Apostles, was a dangerous thing. The actions of the persecutors would be because they did not know God; this was particularly amazing when the persecutors were Jews.   CHAPTER SIXTEEN VERSES FIVE thru SIXTEEN (The Work of the Holy Spirit)   The coming of the Spirit was strongly tied to the beginning of the Messianic Age (e.g., Isa. 11:1-10; 32:14-18; 42:1-4; 44:1-5; Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 11:17-20; 36:24-27; 37:1-14; Joel 2:28-32; cf. Jn. 7:37-39). The teaching of the Jews at the time of Jesus evidences striking statements quite similar to Jesus’ words, “And when He comes, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” The Spirit would convict of sin due to unbelief (possessing faith is the only way to find forgiveness in Jesus), of righteousness as it would reveal the manner in which Jesus had lived, and of judgment because Satan would be judged and found wanting. The final word on the subject of truth would come by the “Spirit of Truth” to the Apostles within the context of their first century ministry (cf. I Cor. 13:8-13; Eph. 4:11-16). Additionally, the Spirit would reveal things yet to come. Death would not be the end of the Apostle’s relationship with Jesus; through the ministry of the Spirit and because of the Resurrection, Jesus would renew His relationship with them.     CHAPTER SIXTEEN VERSES SEVENTEEN thru THIRTY-THREE (The Grief of the Disciples Would be Turned to Joy)   Mourning, in the Jewish context, was very loud and demonstrative. God alone is able to turn mourning into true joy (cf. Est. 9:22; Jer. 31:13; Isa. 61:2-3; Matt. 5:4). The Messianic fulfillment of the “Day of the Lord” was predicted to be a time of distress (Dan. 12:1). Intertestamental Jews used a phrase, “the birth pangs of the Messiah,” to describe the distress to come before the consummation of the Messianic Age. This language and concept are common to the New Testament (cf. Matt. 24:8, 21, 29; Rom. 2:9; Acts 14:22; I Cor. 7:26; II Cor. 4:17; Rev. 7:14). True rejoicing is only found in the Lord (cf. Ps. 33:21). Compare John 1:1, 14 with Isaiah 66:14 to see how Jesus was the embodiment of God’s word. Jesus’ ability to know answers to questions before they were asked was convicting to the Apostles that Jesus was from God. Jesus knew that all the Apostles would desert Him (cf. Zech. 13:7; Matt. 26:31). Even though the Apostles would never find earthly peace in the tribulations of the world, they could be courageous and of good cheer because of the peace they would find in Jesus. Jesus was always straightforward with the Apostles, even when the truth was distressing.     Edwin     Duration 38:01

     The main point of this pericope is that Israel was to listen to God’s statutes and judgments, obey them, and teach them to their children and grandchildren so the covenant people could take possession of the land and live prosperous lives. This section marks a literary turning point from historical review to giving instruction for living, drawing from Israel’s historical failings up to this point. Moses now focuses of the statutes and judgments so that they would “live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you” (Deut 4:1b). Statutes likely refers to written laws, and judgments to case laws. Israel was not to modify these statues and judgments in any way (Deut 4:2). Moses recalled to their memory a recent event in which some of the second-generation Israelites had already been disobedient at Baal-peor and worshipped idols (Deut 4:3; cf. Num 25:1-9), and God judged them for their rebellion (Deut 4:4). In contrast, Israel was to learn and keep God’s statutes and judgements which God transmitted through Moses so the people would possess the land of Canaan and not forfeit it as their parents had done (Deut 4:5). Israel will show their wisdom and understanding when they keep and follow God’s laws, which others will see and acknowledge (Deut 4:6). Speaking rhetorically, Moses asks if any nation has a god who is as near to its people as Yahweh was to Israel, who answers when they call (Deut 4:7). Or if there was a nation with statutes and judgments as wise as those transmitted from Yahweh through Moses (Deut 4:8)? The implied answer is no! Moses then warns them, saying, “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life” (Deut 4:9a). Israel had an obligation in the relationship which was not to forget what they had seen and learned. The word forget translates the Hebrew verb שָׁכַח shakach, and is used by Moses to refer to the danger that one invites to oneself when God’s commands are ignored (Deut 8:11); a danger that is most likely to occur when His people become prosperous (Deut 8:12-14), and turn to idolatry (Deut 8:19). Not only was Israel to preserve and obey God’s commands, but they were to model and teach them to their children (Deut 4:9b). Though Israel’s priests had a special responsibility to teach God’s Word, the parents were called to teach it to their children (cf. Deut 6:6-7; 20-25; 11:19). Passing on God’s Word was very important, for Israel was always only one generation away from forfeiting God’s blessings if they failed to obey and transmit God’s Word to the next generation. Moses reminds his audience that they had personally witnessed God’s presence and heard His voice at Mount Sinai (Deut 4:10-11), and it was at that place where “He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone” (Deut 4:13). The Ten Commandments refer to the objective laws that reflect God’s moral character, and what He expected from His people if they were to walk with Him and know His blessings. Moses informed them, “The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it” (Deut 4:14). Success and blessing for Israel meant learning and living God’s Word. Of course, this assumes positive volition on the part of His people and the transmission of His laws from one generation to the next through the institution of the family.

Introduction to Deuteronomy Dr. Steven R. Cook Title:      Deuteronomy means “second law” and is derived from the Septuagint (LXX), a Greek translation of the Hebrew OT (ca. 250 BC). The Greek word (δευτερονόμιον) appears in the LXX in Deuteronomy 17:18, where the anticipated future king of Israel would be required to “write for himself a copy of this law[1] on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests” (Deut 17:18b).[2] The book of Deuteronomy is not a second copy of the Law itself, “but an amplification and advancement of the covenant text first articulated to Moses and Israel at Sinai nearly forty years earlier.”[3] The Hebrew title is derived from the first words of the book which are translated from the Hebrew (אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים) “these are the words.” Author:      The author is Moses (Deut 1:1, 5; 4:44-45; 31:9, 24; cf. Josh 1:7-8; 2 Ki 14:6; Matt 19:7; Acts 7:37-38; Rom 10:19; 1 Cor 9:9), excluding his death (Deut 34:1-12). “Deuteronomy is quoted in the New Testament nearly one hundred times; and Jesus quoted more from Deuteronomy than from any other Old Testament book.”[4] Audience:      The second generation of Israelites who were living just east of the Jordan River (Deut 1:1), whose parents rebelled against the Lord and wandered in the wilderness for forty years until they perished (Num 14:33-34; Deut 1:3; 2:7, 14; Josh 5:6). Date of Writing:      Circa 1405 BC (Deut 1:3). This assumes an early date for the exodus in 1445 BC. Occasion for Writing:      Moses is about to die. Deuteronomy is his farewell message to the Israelites who are about to enter the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. Deuteronomy is not merely a recapitulation of Moses’ previous writings; rather, “It is a selective digest of matters most important to the average Israelite in his or her relationship with God. Moses spoke as an aged father to his children. These are the parting words of the man who communed with God face to face.”[5] Structure:      The book of Deuteronomy is structured after an ancient Hittite suzerain-vassal treaty. “More than forty years of scholarship has reached a near consensus about the essential elements of standard Hittite treaty texts. These consist of (1) preamble, (2) historical prologue, (3) general stipulations, (4) specific stipulations, (5) blessings and curses, and (6) witnesses.”[6] "In line with the general correspondence of the form of a thing to its function, it is safe to say that one cannot understand the theology of Deuteronomy without reference to its covenant form and structure … That is, the very fact that the book is in the shape and style of a covenant text presupposes that the covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel is a major concern. It follows then that the theology of Deuteronomy must be sensitive to this state of affairs and that, in fact, it must be informed from beginning to end by covenant concerns. It is no exaggeration to maintain that the concept of covenant lies at the very heart of the book and may be said to be the center of its theology. Covenant by its very definition demands at least three elements—the two contracting parties and the document that describes and outlines the purpose, nature, and requirements of the relationship. Thus, the three major rubrics of the theology of Deuteronomy are (1) Yahweh, the Great King and covenant initiator; (2) Israel, the vassal and covenant recipient; and (3) the book itself, the covenant organ, complete with the essentials of standard treaty documents. This means, moreover, that all the revelation of the book must be seen through the prism of covenant and not abstractly removed from the peculiar historical and ideological context in which it originated."[7]      Deuteronomy was to be read and taught within the family (Deut 6:4-7). A copy of the book was to be in the possession of the Levitical priests (Deut 31:9; cf. 31:24-26), and they were to read the book publicly every seven years (Deut 31:10-11). This instruction was intended to produce respect and obedience among God’s people (Deut 31:12-13). Deuteronomy helps us understand all that occurs throughout Israel’s history which follows, as the blessing and cursing is applied to subsequent Israelites. Moses’ Message:      The central message of Deuteronomy is: serve the Lord from your heart (Deut 6:4-9). The book of Deuteronomy is a reiteration of the covenant God instituted at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:1-6). The book of Deuteronomy consists of three messages Moses preached over a period of forty days (Deut 1:5-6; 5:1; 29:1). It was Moses’ counsel to the Israelites who were about to enter a land dominated by a polytheistic pagan people who would tempt them away from their unique God, who alone is the God of the universe. Moses informed them, “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” (Deut 6:4). If Israel would listen to the commands given in Moses’ message, it would result in blessing, which is what God preferred. However, if they disobeyed, God would bring cursing (Deut 11:13-17).      The major theme of the book is love. God’s love for His people is what motivated Him to govern the way He did (Deut 5:9-10; 7:7-9, 12-13; 10:15-19). And in response, God’s people were to love and obey Him (Deut 6:4-5;10:12-13, 18-19; 11:1, 13-14, 22-23; 13:3; 19:8-9; 30:15-16). Love starts with understanding (Deut 6:4-5; 11:18) and flows into action (Deut 10:18-19). Loving obedience to God would result in His blessing upon them, and cursing if they hated and disobeyed (Deut 11:26-28; 30:15-20). Similarly, God’s love for us motivates us to love Him and others (1 John 4:19; cf. John 14:15, 21, 23). "This emphasis on love appears even more striking in comparison with other ancient Near Eastern suzerain-vassal treaties. The ancient Near Eastern kings delineated clearly the rights of the ruler and the responsibilities of the subjects in these documents. However, the motivation was self-interest, the opposite of love. Concern for others was present, but self-interest predominated."[8]      The Church would do well to learn the lessons of righteous living. “To love God supremely and our neighbors as ourselves, and to seek to glorify God in all that we do, is the essence of the message of Deuteronomy; and it’s a message we need to return to as we face the challenges of the future.”[9] Outline: Moses’ introduction to Deuteronomy (Deut 1:1-5) Moses reviews God’s faithfulness to Israel since the Exodus (Deut 1:6—4:43) Moses’ exposition of God’s laws to Israel (Deut 4:44—28:68) Moses’ appeal to faithfulness and commitment (Deut 29:1—30:20) Moses’ final words, song, and death are recorded (Deut 31:1—34:12)   [1] The Hebrew phrase in Deuteronomy 17:18 (מִשְׁנֶה הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת – a copy of this law) likely refers only the book of Deuteronomy itself which the king was to reproduce and carry with him all the days of his life. [2] Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotes are from the New American Standard Bible. [3] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 22. [4] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 8. [5] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Introduction to Deuteronomy. [6] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, 29–30. [7] Ibid., 47–48. [8] Tom Constable, Introduction to Deuteronomy. [9] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, 8.

As the Israelites are poised to enter the Promised Land they learn that Moses will not be going with them. He tells them to be on the look for another prophet-leader like him that God will send. Who did this refer to and how does it help us understand what kind of leader we need today?

August 2, 2020 - Sunday AM Sermon   "A Legacy Worth Leaving"   Our Journey So Far in 2020 2020, a Catalyst for Change Tides of change force us to evaluate our spiritual legacy. In our evaluation, we must consider the past, the present, and the future. Beginning, Now, Tomorrow, Past: Israel at the Cusp of Great Change The promise of God about to be realized (Gen 12) Moses at the end of his life. (Deut. 3:26-28) A recollection of their journey so far (Deut. 1-3) What do we see in our journey so far? Present: Call to Obedience Danger in Unfaithfulness (Deut. 29: 20-28; 32:23-25) Blessing in Submission (Deut. 7-8) Are our Lives obedience and submission to God? Future: Hope of Victory Death of Moses (Deut. 34:1-8) A New Generation (Deut. 34:9) Legacy Beyond Time (Deut. 34:10-12) Will our legacy look like Moses? What is our Legacy? Does our past and present result in a legacy that's pleasing to God? Is the future of our legacy our Hope in God? Legacy in Christ; Not Because of our righteousness (Deut. 9)   Duration  31:11    

In this episode of Bible, Love Letters from Your Father, Catholic evangelist and missionary Romuald B. Simeone links the prayer of Moses (Deut. 33) with the final blessing Prayer of Jesus. The farewell prayer of Moses to the tribes of Israel as they are leaving the desert to go into the promised land, is a symbol of what Jesus actually does. Jesus' farewell prayer to the Father with His disciples, summarizes His public life with them. He encourages them and tells them what to not forget. Jesus is going to bring the human race into the promised land by dying on the cross that very day. Joshua did it militarily with God's help. Jesus does it by His blood and personal sacrifice. In both cases, the leader was Jeshua, Jesus, it is the same name. The Jew, Jeshua (same name as Joshua), led the people into the promised land. And now, Jesus, the Savior leads the people into the eternal promised land by His blood. He pays the price. (July 11, 2020)

There are two passages of scripture for our reflection this week, as I recount some details of a personal journey the Lord has been taking me on over the past 2 weeks:Genesis 25:8-98 Abraham took his last breath and died at a ripe old age, old and contented, and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite.And Genesis 35:2929 Isaac took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.The Lord opened doors for us 18 years ago as a married couple with 4 young children to move to Africa from Australia, initially to Botswana, then later to Sudan and in mid-2010 to Uganda. One of the downsides of this international life is being separated from close loved ones, both family and friends. In our case, this meant we were in Khartoum on Easter Sunday morning 2010 when Lynda's Mum in Australia suffered a massive cerebral haemorrhage, going to be with her Lord the same day. Five years later in 2015, on the day of our son Zach's 21st birthday, my own Mum was in hospital being treated for a minor chest infection, suddenly suffered severe complications, and passed that day to be with the Lord.In both cases there was no opportunity afforded for us to pray with them or say any final farewell words; our Mums were each literally gone from this earthly life in the blink of an eye.Twelve days ago, I woke to a message that my 84 years old Dad who lives in Brisbane, Australia, had just experienced a mini-stroke. This was the most recent of several he has experienced over the past 17 years, and it left him with total loss of speech. For someone like Dad who is now not very mobile and requires daily living assistance from nursing staff, speaking with these staff, as well as friends and family through face-to-face visits and via the telephone, provides the highlights of each day. To lose the capacity to speak at all clearly devastated Dad, and the person I was seeing lying in the hospital bed in subsequent days via video calls on Skype/WhatsApp was someone I now barely recognised. His happy disposition was gone, and it was as if he was fading away before my very eyes.In these current times there was literally nothing we could do to be with him right now. Even if we could fly tomorrow to Australia, the only international flights are to Sydney, then immediately on arrival into 14 days quarantine, following which there is no guarantee of being able to get to Dad in Brisbane, due to the severe restrictions still imposed on all interstate travel inside Australia.My initial response in the following days was to say – “don't give in just yet Dad; please just stay with us Dad till we can get to you in Australia to say one final good-bye, if you are now ready to be with the Lord.”Then the words came to mind of these two passages from Genesis, marking earthly life's end for Abraham and for Isaac. I recognised that my attitude towards Dad and wanting him to “stay with us” for a little longer was being selfish.The great patriarch Abraham died at the age of 175 years old. Notice the sequence in Genesis 25:8-9 above: Abraham died, was gathered to his people, and then his body was buried in the cave of Machpelah.We see in Genesis 35:29 that Isaac was gathered to his people before he was buried. This is significant because some scholars argue that being “gathered to his people” simply means that he was buried with his ancestors. But the text shows that like Abraham, Isaac was clearly gathered to his people before he was buried.This phrase, "gathered to his people" is in fact found recorded at the death of many other Old Testament characters apart from Abraham and Isaac, including: Ishmael (Gen. 25:17), Jacob (Gen. 49:33), Aaron (Num. 20:24), Moses (Deut. 33:50) and Josiah (2 Kings 22:8). The destiny of Moses is further described in Deut. 31:16 when God says, "Behold, you will rest with your fathers." This could not possibly refer to his physical body, for it was buried "in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor" (Deut. 34:6).Not only do we read of individuals being "gathered to their people”, but after the death of Joshua we find an entire "generation had been gathered to their fathers" (Judges 2:10).But what does it mean to be gathered to our people? Bible scholar William Wilson commented, "To be gathered to his people, is a peculiar phrase deserving notice; it is distinguished from death which precedes, and from burial of the body which follows. It seems to denote being received by their own people, or among them.”One day, every one of us will be gathered to our people. The question to be answered is, which people? We will either be gathered to our people in heaven, or to our people in hell. Each patriarch mentioned above was quite clearly gathered to his people in heaven, for his people were God's people. I trust that, as you read this, you will be able to say with great certainty that you will one day be gathered, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and others, to God's people.We need to live in such a way that when we die, those whom we leave behind will have an unshakable confidence in the Word of God. We will be gathered to our people one day, but we must live in such a way that those left behind have no doubt in their minds as to which people we have been gathered to. Simply put, we need to so live that when we die there is no question that we believed the promises of God, for that will also help those whom we leave behind to believe the promises of God.The key to us being gathered one day to God's people is to be gathered to Jesus Christ here and now. It is only as you are saved by the person and work of Jesus Christ that you can be sure of being gathered one day to His people. Those who will be gathered to His people at death are those who are identified with His people in life. Do not fool yourself into thinking that you will be gathered to His people at your death if you have no time for His people in life!Today I can celebrate the fact that throughout his life, Dad has continued a generational legacy that those left behind when the Lord does call him “home” will have no doubts in our minds as to which people he has been gathered. Dad is now “old and full of days”, living to “a ripe old age” to the point where I can fully appreciate that he is now ready to “be gathered to his people”. Questions to ponder:It does not matter whether you can count amongst your ancestors ones who were righteous in Christ; what counts is this - are you able to state with certainty to which people you will one day be gathered?Is your life here and now being lived each day with an unshakeable confidence in the Word of God?The reality of our life on this earth is that it can pass in the blinking of an eye – is there anything you need to say or share now with a loved one, a parent, a sibling? If so, then do not let it pass till “next time I see them”.

How does the Pentateuch end (Deut. 34)?At a certain level, perhaps one might speak of hope, or at least of anticipation. Even if Moses himself is not permitted to enter the Promised Land, the Israelites are on the verge of going in. The “land flowing with milk and honey” is about to become theirs. Joshua son of Nun, a man “filled with the spirit of wisdom”(Deut. 34:9), has been appointed. Even the blessing of Moses on the twelve tribes (Deut. 33) might be read as bringing a fitting closure to this chapter of Israel’s history.Nevertheless, such a reading is too optimistic. Converging emphases leave the thoughtful reader with quite a pessimistic expectation of the immediate future. After all, for forty years the people have made promises and broken them, and have repeatedly been called back to covenantal faithfulness by the harsh means of judgment. In Deuteronomy 31, God himself predicts that the people will “soon forsake me and break the covenant I made with them” (Deut. 31:16). Moses, this incredibly courageous and persevering leader, does not enter the Promised Land because on one occasion he failed to honor God before the people.In this respect, he serves as a negative foil to the great Hebrew at the beginning of this story of Israel: Abraham dies as a pilgrim in a strange land not yet his, but at least he dies with honor and dignity, while Moses dies as a pilgrim forbidden to enter the land promised to him and his people, in lonely isolation and shame. We do not know how much time elapsed after Moses’ death before this last chapter of Deuteronomy was penned, but it must have been substantial, for verse 10 reads, “Since then (i.e., since Moses’ death), no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses.” One can scarcely fail to hear overtones of the prophecy of the coming of a prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15-18). By the time of writing, other leaders had arisen, some of them faithful and stalwart. But none like Moses had arisen — and this is what had been promised.These strands make the reader appreciate certain points, especially if the Pentateuch is placed within the storyline of the whole Bible. (1) The law-covenant simply did not have the power to transform the covenant people of God. (2) We should not be surprised by more instances of catastrophic decline. (3) The major hope lies in the coming of a prophet like Moses. (4) Somehow this is tied to the promises at the front end of the story: we wait for someone of Abraham’s seed through whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 1) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

The prophecy of the coming of a prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15-18) must first of all be understood within its own context. Four observations bring this passage to sharp focus.First, the preceding verses (Deut. 18:9-13) condemn the religious practices of the nations the Israelites are displacing, especially those religious practices used for guidance: divination, sorcery, interpretation of omens, witchcraft, casting of spells, spiritism, and necromancy. These “detestable practices” (Deut. 18:12) constitute part of the reason why these nations were driven out — a lesson many in the West have not learned, to our great danger. Such practices implicitly deny God’s sovereignty, and encourage people to rely for their safety and well-being on either superstitious nonsense or demonic power. In the transition verse (Deut. 18:14), Moses contrasts the Israelites: “But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.” Far from it: as the Lord gave his word through the prophet Moses, so after Moses’ death God will raise up a prophet like Moses. “You must listen to him” (Deut. 18:15). God’s people are to be led by the word of God faithfully delivered by his prophets, not by religious superstition.Second, that raises the question as to who is a true prophet (Deut. 18:20-22), a theme Moses had already discussed (Deut. 13; see the June 9 meditation) but which is here briefly reintroduced. For if people will know the Word of God through God’s prophets, it is important to reiterate some of the criteria by which one may distinguish true prophets from false.Third, Moses reminds the Israelites of the essentially mediatorial role of the prophet (Deut. 18:16-17). Of course, this is true at a fairly trite level: genuine prophets reveal words from God that would otherwise be unknown, and thus mediate between God and people. But Moses refers to something more profound. When God displayed himself at Sinai, the people were so terrified that they knew they dared not approach this holy God: they would be destroyed (Ex. 20:18-19). The people wanted Moses to be the mediator of the revelation from God. God praises them for this judgment, this right-minded fear of God (Deut. 18:17). In the same way, God will raise up another prophet who will exercise the same mediating function.Fourth, at some level this promise was fulfilled in every genuine prophet God sent. But the language of this promise is so generous it is difficult not to see that some special prophet is finally in view: he will not only tell everything that God commands him, but if anyone does not listen to God’s words spoken in God’s name, God himself will hold him to account. Meditate not only on Acts 3:22-23; 7:37, but also on John 5:16-30. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 1) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

I.  Candidates for Biblical Characters Who Escaped Death Elijah (2 Kings 2:1-17) Enoch (Gen. 5:21-24) Moses (Deut. 34:1-10 (esp. 6) Cain (Gen. 4:15) II. Compare to Jesus  - who died but defeated death III. Compare to Uptnapishtim - who was immortal  

Moses - Deut 30:15-31:6; Gal 5:13-26

…The office of “prophet” came on the scene heavily after the division of the kingdom into Israel (north) and Judah (south). While prophets like Nathan (2 Sam 12:1, 25) and even Moses (Deut 34:10) were active in previous times, a surge of prominent men were brought to the forefront to deliver YHWH’s words to the people in tumultuous times of their own doing…

Foundational Truths: The Bible is God’s self-revelation.God is the Eternal, Sovereign Creator; all that He creates is good.Man is a responsible agent, held to a moral standard.Sin originates within a person, separating us from God.God declares one righteous by faith alone, apart from works.The glory of God is the centerpiece and goal of all existence.God’s glory is maximally realized in the promised, coming Kingdom.A prevalent theme in the Scriptures is that of “inheritance,” where, in the Old Testament, the Lord is looking to give a promised piece of land to the smallest of all the peoples in the world, Israel. In the New Testament, an inheritance is promised to those believers who persevere in holding fast to Christ, being understood as a reward to be earned by faithfulness and good deeds in accordance with the Word of God. YHWH, the Creator, the God of the Bible, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is a giver.While Israel’s inheritance is earthly in nature, the inheritance offered to the Church is one that is heavenly. In both instances, each people group has been sufficiently provided for, extravagantly blessed, and has before them a life which they are to steward according to what they have been given. The Lord God has eliminated all excuses for one not receiving the inheritance offered to them, refusing to violate the free-will of each person. In the end, the things of this world, personal apathy and slothfulness, and neglect or misuse of the plenteous resources that have been supplied will be the only reasons that one will not inherit what has been offered. YHWH desires His children to have success. Regardless if the focus is on Israel or the Church, He desires them to take possession of the inheritance that awaits each of them.The word “inheritance” is used in the Old Testament over 230 times and occurs in the New Testament around 35 times. This concept is significant in Scripture, for with it comes the conversation of “heirs” (Isa 65:9; Rom 8:17), “sons” and “firstborn sons” (Exod 4:22; Matt 5:45), “rewards” (2 Sam 22:21; Matt 6:6), “ruling and reigning” (Isa 24:23; 32:1; 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 5:10; 22:5), judgment (1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Cor 5:10), and being partners (partakers, companions) with Christ (Heb 1:9; 3:14). Reading Deuteronomy, the words “possess” and “possession” are used 66 times, with the Hebrew word “yerusha” meaning “to take possession, to be an heir, to inherit” (Deut 1:8, 21, 39; 2:5, 9, 12, 19, 24, 31, for example). In Deuteronomy, this word is interchangeable with “inheritance”.In Scripture, there are actually two types of inheritance regarding both the Israelites and the believer in Christ.The first type of inheritance is unconditional in nature, being something that the Christian receives at the moment that one believes in Jesus Christ. This inheritance is what is understood as “eternal life” in the Scriptures (John 3:16; 5:24; Gal 4:7). For Israel, this inheritance is YHWH Himself, as found in Psalms 16:5 and 119:57. Both are immediate for each respective group when faith is exercised (Gen 15:6; John 3:16).The second inheritance is conditional in nature, meaning that obeying by faith (“walking by faith”) is the requirement to receiving it. This can be seen in Colossians 2:6 which says, “as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” “Receiving” is the unconditional inheritance, while the conditional inheritance requires the believer to “walk in Him.” For the Israelites, the conditional inheritance is their resting in the land that was promised to them. Numbers 14:28-30 shows the Lord’s perspective on the failure of the first generation to trust His promises and to move forward in possessing the Promised Land. “As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.”Caleb and Joshua remained faithful to the Lord’s Word in this trying situation. Therefore, they are granted inheritance of the land. Those who walked in unbelief died in the wilderness.This Jewish understanding of the kingdom and the inheritance being earthly in nature is seen also in Acts 1:6 where the disciples ask Jesus if it was at this time that the Lord would be restoring the kingdom to Israel. The intentional use of “restoring” tells us that the Jewish mindset ofthese early Christians was that of Israel’s former glory when David and Solomon reigned upon the throne of Israel.This chart from James S. Hollandsworth may prove helpful. As with any passage of Scripture that we are looking to interpret, context determines the meaning.Another summary passage that explains both inheritances can be seen in Romans 8:16-17. It reads, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”Notice the emphasized portions. The Spirit of God testifies that believers are children of God. This is a fact that requires nothing of us but believing in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. The logical conclusion that the Apostle Paul draws is that IF we are children of God, then we ARE heirs of God. To be one is to automatically be the other. There are no contingencies in this matter. To be justified is to be God’s child, and to be God’s child is to be an “heir of God.” This is most important because it reflects the exact type of relationship that was put forth in the Old Testament when it spoke of YHWH being the inheritance (or portion) of the Israelites (Deut 18:2; Josh 18:7; Psa 16:5; 119:57; Lam 3:24). Thechildren of Israel did nothing to receive YHWH as their inheritance (portion), it is simply because of His love for them (Deut 7:7-8).However, the second part of Romans 8:17 entails the second inheritance. If we are automatically “heirs of God” we also have the opportunity to be “fellow heirs with Christ,” but such a designation comes with a requirement, namely that of suffering with Christ, or experiencing suffering because we are holding fast to Him and His Word. When speaking of the second inheritance there will always be a contingent factor present, which is seen in the phrase “if indeed we suffer with Him.” The reason for this is found in the emphasized words “so that.” Being glorified with Christ is the culmination of our salvation. Having suffered with Christ, we are qualified to be glorified “with Him,” IF we have suffered for His Name’s sake.When we talk about or read through passages in the New Testament that exhort the church to obedience, walking by faith, and good works, we are not simply subscribing to a “this-is-what-we-ought-to-do” existence that is without meaning or significance. Embracing the commands of Scripture and living out the New Life that Christ makes possible has monumental value in eternity to come, bringing greater degrees of glory to God! The more a saint lives this New Life in obedience, the more that God’s Word is promoted as trustworthy and sure, the more that He is glorified in the obedience of His children!For our purposes in the chronological approach of God’s Word, we look to Israel’s historical example regarding the second inheritance.With the failure of the first generation to trust YHWH in moving forward in inheriting the land, the opportunity was postponed (Num 14:28-33). After wandering for 40 years, the book of Deuteronomy finds Moses and the children of Israel standing on the edge of the Promised Land. This is the 2nd generation, for all that were 20-years-old and older had passed away due to their rebellion (Num 14:29). Only Moses was left to die before the 2nd generation of Israelites could crossover into the land to possess it (Num 20:9-12). Moses’ charge throughout the book of Deuteronomy is that they remain faithful, knowing the Word of God as revealed in the Law and doing all that it commanded them. Some passages to elaborate on the specifics would be helpful.Deuteronomy 1:8. The command is to go in and “possess” (inherit) the land that was promised to them.Deuteronomy 4:37-40. What motivates the faithfulness and blessing of God toward Israel is His love! Not only does He fight for Israel, but He has promised an inheritance to them, being the Land of Canaan. They are told in v.39 to “take it to your heart” that YHWH is the only true God and that by keeping His statutes and commandments, they would live long in the land, prospering there, even unto the times of their children.Deuteronomy 6:1-3. This passage occurs right before the Shema[2] setting the stage for what Israel was about to receive. The people would be taught doctrine and were expected to implement it in their daily lives. This was meant to leave a legacy, directing the family structure and lifestyle into successive generations that fostered a culture of obedience to YHWH, with the entire nation walking in fellowship with Him. The emphasis is found again in v.3 on the importance of listening to what Moses was teaching them and to apply it. Doing so would bring blessing.As mentioned in previous lessons, these historical events in Israel’s life are vivid pictures of the spiritual realities of the Christian life.With the death of Moses (Deut 34:5) comes the command for Joshua to assume command in leading the Lord’s people. The exhortations of the Lord toward Joshua hold some valuable secondary applications for us today in regards to receiving the inheritance.[3]Joshua 1:1-9. The command is given to Joshua to lead the people in crossing over the Jordan River (1:2). YHWH understands that this is a difficult assignment, and the people of Israel have just come off hearing Moses reiterate to them the failure of their fathers in inheriting the land forty years prior when the opportunity was given to them. For Israel, Moses was a symbol of leadership and stability. With Moses’ passing comes a void to be filled but also a new era; one which finds the second generation learning from their predecessors’ mistakes and trusting the Lord in moving forward.Three times in the passage YHWH encourages Joshua, telling him to “be strong and courageous” (1:6,7,9). Two of those times, the fact that YHWH is with him is communicated to reinforce the command (1:6,9), while the exhortation in 1:7 is one that calls for the keeping of the Law so that he will prosper in the land. The application for the Christian is that the Lord our God is always with us, even more so in the Church Age because the Holy Spirit indwells the believer in Christ (John 14:17; 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13-14). We have no need to fear, since the Spirit that we received is not a spirit of fear (2 Tim 1:7). Too often fear has crippled the believer, shutting his or her mouth, and stifling the flames that would otherwise compel us to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These things need not be so because God is with us. Therefore, let us be strong and courageous so that we can move forward in sound obedience.The inheritance before Joshua is specified in 1:4, noting the boundaries of south, north, east, and west. This is the same designation of land as seen in Genesis 15:18-21. What God had promised years before was coming to fruition in Joshua’s time.Undoubtedly, the most familiar exhortation in this passage comes from 1:7 where YHWH tells Joshua to “be careful to do according to the law” exactly what it says to do. In taking the land, Israel was to be a beacon of righteousness to the pagan nations around her (Deut 4:6-8). This beacon can only shine forth if Israel is walking in fellowship with YHWH. So it is with the Christian today. While we are not saved by obedience, our salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone gives way to a new way of living before the world. This is the New Life, walking in love, operating in joy, confident at every turn because our hope is reserved in heaven, not earth. Such living causes us to inherit the wondrous riches and positions of ruling and reigning alongside Christ (Rev 20:4). Our lives on earth are a time of stewardship. How will you spend it? Jesus states, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” Are we ready?[1] James S. Hollandsworth, “Two Inheritances,” at http://kingdompreparation.com/2014/09/two-inheritances, accessed 10 April 2018.[2] Shema means “Hear, O Israel.”[3] Secondary application is how one who is not part of the originally-intended audience should respond to a command or moral teaching.

 Foundational Truths: The Bible is God’s self-revelation.God is the Eternal, Sovereign Creator; all that He creates is good.Man is a responsible agent, held to a moral standard.Sin originates within a person, separating us from God.God declares one righteous by faith alone, apart from works.What is the grand purpose of all history and existence? Many people would point to the salvation of the lost, but this is actually only one piece of the total pie that YHWH will accomplish in history. The grand purpose for all of history and existence is God’s glory! The salvation of men and women is one of many things that contribute unto this end. Ryrie explains, writing, “Scripture is not man-centered as though salvation were the main theme, but it is God-centered because His glory is the center. The Bible itself clearly teaches that salvation, important and wonderful as it is, is not an end in itself but is rather a means to the end of glorifying God (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14).”[1] That being said, the establishment of a literal, earthly, political theocracy in which Christ Jesus reigns supreme is the pinnacle of glory unto God, “when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet” (1 Cor 15:24b-25). If this is God’s mission in history, and if He has communicated this fact to us in the Scriptures, it should be our driving mission as well, for no purpose is greater than God receiving maximum glory all of the time for eternity!In Daniel 7:13-14 the thesis statement of the Bible is recorded. The goal of all history and existence is that Jesus Christ would be glorified in establishing His kingdom on Earth, exercising an “everlasting dominion.”God’s desire is that men and women would have a ruling capacity upon the Earth alongside Christ in this future time. This is first found in Genesis 1:26-28. We are told that God made man and woman in His image, after His likeness, as rulers over the fish, birds, cattle, andcreeping things, being fruitful and filling the earth, subduing it, and ruling over it. Some translations use the term “have dominion” (ESV, KJV, NKJV, Darby). The idea is that man was to dominate the creation in alignment with His Creator. McClain notes, “In the Genesis account of the creation of man, the very first of the divine injunctions laid upon him was regal in character… Thus among other important likenesses to his Creator, man was given a limited sovereignty in relation to the earth.”[2]Only man and woman were created in His image and likeness. This cannot be said about any other creature that the Lord has made. This creative act was before the Fall of man, making it a pure and holy calling. YHWH was operating with man in a sinless, unmodified environment. Also, this establishes human beings as superior to all other forms of life in creation. Thus, from the very first chapter in Genesis we have YHWH sharing His ruling responsibilities with men and women, establishing a kingdom of rule on Earth.With the introduction of sin into the human race (Gen 3:1-7), the right to rule was forfeited by Adam and Eve and the mantle was taken up by Satan and his demonic forces (Psa 82:2-7; John 14:30; 2 Cor 4:4). The “kingdom on earth” became a playground for sinful exploits and satanic deceptions as the human rulers of this world were swayed into flesh-patterns of decision-making that satisfied the wisdom of man rather than being in alignment with the holy council of the Creator God by His Word (Gen 6:1-4; Rom 1:18-32). The propensity is toward godlessness.In Genesis 9:1b, YHWH commands Noah and his descendants to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth. What is noticeably missing from this command is that the call to “have dominion” is absent, showing that this right was forfeited in the Fall.YHWH is serious about real estate. Every kingdom needs a place in which to reside. For the Jews, this land is in the Middle East, between Egypt and Iraq. With the call of Abraham and the promises that were made to him, we see that “land” is guaranteed to him and his descendants (Gen 12:1d, 7). This is restated again and again (Gen 15:7-21; 17:8) also being communicated to Isaac (Gen 26:3) and Jacob (Gen 28:13). Even by goinginto Egypt, Jacob is told that YHWH would “make you a great nation there” (Gen 46:3).YHWH’s affection for Israel is seen in the Exodus time, calling them His people (Exod 3:10), His son, and His firstborn (Exod 4:22). All of these are terms of personal possession, as well as terms used for those who would be heirs of what was to come.It is clear that the revelation of Scripture thus far (and throughout the rest of the Old and New Testaments) points to the Lord’s fulfillment of the dominion command with progressive revelation working toward the future coming Kingdom of Jesus Christ.The greatest way that YHWH is glorified through people is when they trust His Word and walk forward in obedience. Such obedience causes them to inherit a place of regal responsibility in the coming Kingdom of Christ. In the history of Israel, who are looking forward to the Messiah who will “restore the Kingdom to Israel” (Acts 1:6), inheritance is conditioned upon obedience. This historical event sets up a perfect picture for the Church Age saint in what it is to “trust YHWH fully” so that he or she will receive an inheritance.Numbers 13:1-16. YHWH calls upon Moses to send out spies made up from the leaders of each of the twelve tribes to see what the Promised Land looked like since they were being led to inherit it. By selecting leaders, these men already understood the pressures and responsibilities that came with leadership. Some have equated the sending of spies as an act of unbelief by Israel, but this is proven false in Deut 1:21-23. The Israelites wished to plot out a way to go up to the land and see the cities that were to be taken first (Deut 1:22b). We are told that this request pleased Moses (Deut 1:23).Verses 4-16 give a detailed account of the men selected for this mission. Of particular note is Caleb in v.6 (whose name means “faithful” and is a derivative of the Hebrew for “dog”), and Hoshea (whose name means “salvation, deliverance”) in v. 8, also called Joshua in v.16 (actually “Jehoshua” meaning “YHWH is salvation”), Moses’ 2nd in command.Numbers 13:17-25. Repeatedly, we have the Land of Canaan referred to as a land “flowing with milk and honey” (Exod 3:8, 17; 13:5; 33:3; Lev20:24). Was it true? This expedition served in answering many questions about what they were to expect.o What is the caliber and number of men that they would be fighting?o What places are best for habitation?o What is the estimated time of initial survival?o What battle strategies need to be considered?o What will be required to overcome the structures that they are living in?o Is the land abundant or scarce for food and supplies?This was not haphazard operation. The Israelites sought to be prepared and their surveying the land is in keeping with wisdom.The journey of the spies is impressive. In the course of 40 days (13:25), the spies journeyed from the Wilderness of Zin, which is the southwestern curve of the Mediterranean Sea, up through the main land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, to the northern point of Rehob located in Lebo-Hamath which is southern Syria (13:21). Just 3 miles north of Hebron, the spies cut down a massive cluster of grapes in the valley of Eshcol to bring back as evidence of the land’s abundance. The length of this journey is roughly 480 miles round trip!Numbers 13:26-33. When the spies returned, they gave a report to Moses, Aaron, and the congregation of Israel. The land was bursting with abundance just as YHWH had said (13:27)! However, the spies also spoke of the opposition that lay in wait for them. This report was exactly what Moses asked of them (compare the questions of 13:18-20 to the report in 13:27-29). Everything in the spies’ report in 13:27-29 is true. Details are given as to the people and their locations. “The Semitic Amorites and Jebusites lived in the hill country, along with some of the non-Semitic Hittites who had migrated into the region from eastern Anatolia. The term Amorite can refer in general to a number of the inhabitants of the Levant, including those in areas known today as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine.”[3]Obviously, such a report, no matter how truthful, would cause anxiety among Israel. We must keep in mind that the Israelites are not warriors, or fighters, or generals, but are men and women who had just come out of a slave mentality and who, apart from the Living God, would not be alive at this moment in history. Caleb, who was one of the twelve spies (13:6) brought the people to a hush and immediately called them to walk forward in what YHWH had already told them. YHWH’s promises served as Caleb’s confidence. Caleb demonstrates an excellent leadership principle in v. 30: Clear direction is most needed in a troubled time.The response from the other spies (being 10 of them because Joshua was siding with Caleb-14:6) showed that they had allowed their present circumstances to overshadow the eternal promises of YHWH. Verse 32 seems to communicate that the 10 spies gave a bad report, seeking to persuade Israel to disobedience. Verses 32-33 also communicates that embellishments were conveyed, telling the people that the land “devours” its inhabitants, that those who live there are overpowering and enormous in size, making the Israelites seem like grasshoppers in their wake. This description is nothing short of elaborate and dramatic for the purpose of stirring up fear in the people.The mention of the Nephilim in v. 33 has caused some debate. The Nephilim were last mentioned in Genesis 6 as the result of demons cohabitating with human women. While many have written saying that this is impossible, the passages they cite do not serve in giving an explanation of improbability. However, if we simply take God’s Word for what it says and understand that He is telling us the truth about things that we would not otherwise know, we see that this event brought about the great judgment of the Flood!With the Flood being global, and the Nephilim being mentioned, one would draw the conclusion that the Nephilim perished in the Flood. This is a correct understanding. The reason for their name resurfacing in this situation is because the sons of Anak (13:22, 33) were actual giants that lived in the land (much like Goliath later). The Israelites, knowing their Genesis history, would be further led to not enter the land if the 10 spies used the word “Nephilim” to strike fear in the people. Thus, it is not that the Nephilim survived the flood, but that their name was used for the purpose of persuasion.Numbers 14:1-5. The Israelites’ response is one of anguish, letting their emotions run the train right off the tracks. In reading v.2-4, it is evident that their responses are thoughtless and careless, disregarding the goodness that YHWH had showed them in setting them free from slavery and providing for them in the desert. Notice the list:o It would have been better to have died in Egypt (14:2b)o It would have been better to have died in the wilderness (14:2b)o What is God doing? Why has He brought us here to kill us? (14:3a)o Our wives and children will be taken from us (14:3b)o Egypt held a better future for us (14:3c)o Let’s get rid of Moses and go back to slavery (14:4)It is both astonishing and sad. And, it’s not too far off base from how we respond when the emotions are running high and the eternal character of God is questioned because of our present circumstances. The report of the spies had eclipsed the promises of God. Let it sink in for a moment: the Israelites are crying out that slavery in Egypt is a better future than being with YHWH.Moses and Aaron’s response to the situation is one that is unexpected, but definitely right: They fell on their faces before the Lord, submitting themselves to YHWH before the people.Numbers 14:6-10. Joshua and Caleb, the two spies that were trusting in the promises of God to them, tore their clothes in disgust at this incident. They pleaded with the people to not lose sight of what God could do in bringing them into the land. One important point communicated in v.8 is the statement, “if the LORD is pleased with us.” Caleb and Joshua knew that the covenant that they had received in Exodus 19 and 20 was conditional and that YHWH was not obligated to bring that particular generation of Israelites into the Land that He had promised them. They continued pleading with the people, “do not rebel against the LORD” (14:9), noting that the people of the land will be the Israelites’ prey, easily devoured because YHWH fights for them!It is difficult for 2 men to reason with a million or so disgruntled and discouraged people. The response that they received was carnal, calling for their stoning. This is a very possible response in our lives when one’s emotions are running the show, the person is not thinking soberly, and truth is asserted to try and bring stability to the situation.YHWH, in His glory, then appears before the people.Numbers 14:11-19. YHWH’s response is one of obvious frustration. From v.11, the chief problem in their ranks was unbelief, even though numerous signs had been given to convince them otherwise. YHWH’s anger is understandable, but the response given is in the form of a test for Moses. Does Moses still trust in YHWH? What if YHWH were to wipe out all of the Israelites and start over with Moses? Should this be the way that YHWH deals with unfaithfulness and unbelief? Taking another step that seems unnatural, Moses steps forward. “Moses interceded for Israel to protect the Lord’s reputation with the Egyptians, who would charge the Lord with inability to complete His deliverance of Israel and thus deny His power. Second, the Lord’s loyal love was the basis on which the Lord could forgive His people.”[4]There are two things that are intriguing in this passage. First, the central point is YHWH keeping His Word, which Moses appeals to in v.16. This is exactly the response that YHWH wants from us every time. God’s Word is paramount and what He has said about a matter, subject, or situation is always right regardless of what the world, politicians, scholars, or fellow Christians may say. Second, this appeal comes to a close with Moses referring to God as Adonai (“Master” v.17). Moses then recites Exodus 20:4-5 to YHWH, praying back His Word to Him and focusing in on His “chesed,” His loyal love for His chosen people Israel.Numbers 14:20-23. YHWH pardons Israel’s sin. Sin is deserving of death, but YHWH graciously lets them live. The Lord then states clearly that His glory will fill the earth (14:21). This is God’s specific goal for the Israelites, that they would bring great glory to God so as to illuminate the whole planet to His goodness and grace (Deut 4:6-8). YHWH notes that the Israelites had put Him to the test ten times and for so doing, they would not be the ones who inherited the Promised Land. You may say, “but didn’t YHWH forgive their sin and pardon them?” To that, theScriptures say, “Yes.” But this pardon resulted in their not dying. This does not mean that there were no consequences for their actions. Because of their unbelief, they would not inherit the Land. YHWH’s seeks to accomplish His promise by bringing the people into the Land to inherit it fully, and He will do so in keeping with His Word (Gen 12:1-3).Numbers 14:24-35. The Lord notes that Caleb was different. What set Caleb apart was that 1) he had a “different spirit,” with the word for “different” meaning “another” spirit, being contrasted to the people, and 2) he had “followed Me fully,” showing that faithfulness in God’s promises is what gained Caleb his inheritance in the Land.Starting in 14:25, new directions are given and the children are to go back into the wilderness. There, they would die over a period of 40 years, one year for each of the days that the spies were in the land receiving validation of all that YHWH had promised them (14:33-34).A harsh lesson to learn is that Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua were free of guilt in this situation, but because of the disobedience of the people, they still had to lead them through the forty years of wilderness. The unbelief of the Israelites costs these four men and their families dearly, even though they were faithful. Numbers 14:36-38. The consequences for the instigators of this travesty were not spared. While they were not responsible for the responses of the Israelites, they were the “tempters” that led them into unbelief. These men “died by a plague before the LORD” (14:37), which means that they dropped dead right before the people. The text then re-emphasizes the fact that Joshua and Caleb would inherit the land.This passage is a real-life, historical event that communicates an important theological truth to the Church Age saint.The Israelites were “passed over” by applying the blood, being saved from physical death (Exod 12:13). The Church is saved from spiritual death when they apply the blood of Jesus Christ, which can only be applied by faith (Rom 3:23-26; Eph 2:8-9).It is not until after their deliverance (“salvation”) that the Israelites were given instructions on how to live (Exod 20:1-20). They were fully accepted before this, demonstrating that their obedience was not contingent on their standing before God (Exod 3:10). The Church is justified before God by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (Eph 2:8-9). It is not until after one is born from above that they are to be discipled (taught) in all that Christ has commanded (Matt 28:19). Any condition of works or obedience beforehand is not in keeping with the Old Testament picture being painted.Upon receiving instructions, the expectation was for the Israelites to apply what they had learned, having voluntarily agreed to be in a covenant relationship with YHWH (Exod 19:8). Upon receiving instructions, the Christian is to move forward in applying those instructions, having been given a new capacity, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, in living a new life (Heb 5:11-6:3). Believing and obeying are two separate things, properly represented by the terms “justification” and “sanctification” (Col 2:6).Unbelief kept the Israelites from inheriting the Land that they were promised, meaning that YHWH would have to fulfill this promise (for the promise is certain) with another generation of Israelites. This blatant rebellion, despite all of the evidence and provision that had set them up for success, was judged by YHWH ending in the eventual death of all who rebelled against Him (Num 13-14). The Israelites, instead of enjoying the abundance that waited for them in the Promised Land, would wander in the wilderness to the end of their days (Num 14:33-34). The Israelites were never cast out of the family of God, for they were believers in God (Exod 14:31). However, they were disciplined because of their disobedience and rebellion, and did not inherit the Land.For the Church, walking with the Lord (Eph 4:1), loving one another (John 13:34-35), and considering another better than ourselves (Phil 2:3) are all applications of the doctrines that we have been taught. Failure to live this new life will result in believers in Christ not inheriting the future coming Kingdom of Jesus Christ on Earth (1 Cor 3:15; 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:5).The concept of “inheriting the Kingdom” is not the equivalent to Heaven. If one believes in Christ, their eternal destiny is already locked up securely in their permanent relationship with the Father (Eph 1:13). However, one’s fellowship with the Father is a different story. Fellowship is cultivated by obeying what Christ has commanded (John 14-16). In fact, a love for God is evidenced in the obedience of the Christian, and no other way. Inheriting the Kingdom is the same as having a rich entrance into the coming Kingdom of Christ. This would be contingent on the Christian being a co-heir with Christ in the Kingdom, meaning that they were given a favorable reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Cor 5:10). This often entails suffering for His Name’s sake (Matt 5:3, 10-12, 19-20; 6:4, 6, 18 Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 2:12). It is by rebellion, pride, and self-promotion that we lose out on the opportunity to reign with Christ (Matt 6:1-2, 5, 16, 23-24; 7:21-23, 26-27).Will you trust the Lord for your daily life, direction, and decisions? There is no greater place, that yields no greater reward and accomplishes no greater glory for God, than being in the center of God’s will all of the time. This end is inseparable from knowing, trusting, and doing His Word. [1] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Dispensationalism, Rev. and expanded. (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), p. 48.[2] Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom: An Inductive Study of the Kingdom of God (Chicago: Moody Press, 1968), p. 42-43.[3] R. Dennis Cole, Numbers, Vol. 3B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), p. 223.[4] John MacArthur Jr., ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), p. 217.

Luke 9:31b-36—Greater than Moses Lesson 1: Obey __________ ________ and not human wisdom (Luke 9:33; Matt 16:22-23). Lesson 2: If you can’t improve on ______________, __________ (Luke 9:35; Matt 17:5; Pro 10:19, 11:12, 17:27-28, 21:23; Jam 1:19). Lesson 3: Jesus is the “______________ ______________ than Moses” (Deut 18:15-19; Luke 9:35 Luke 9:33; Matt 16:22-23). Lesson 4: Jesus provides a ______________ ____________ than Moses  (Luke 9:31). Family Worship Guide Memory Verses: Hebrews 12:1 Day 1: Read Luke 9:28-36 & discuss: Why did Peter want to set up “tents”? What was he thinking when he said that? What did Jesus mean in verse 27? Before the “kingdom” came, what did Jesus have to do, first? The pattern for Jesus is: suffering, then glory. Agree or disagree? If you agree, what is the significance of this pattern for your own life? Day 2: Read Luke 9:28-36 & discuss: Consider your own life: what “worldly wisdom” have you acted upon? Looking back on that, what would you have done differently, if anything at all? Also: think about the last piece of advice you gave someone else. Was it godly wisdom or worldly wisdom? Explain your answer. Day 3: Read Luke 9:28-36 & Deut. 18:15-19 & discuss: In regards to God’s command to the apostles on the mountain, was the focus on “seeing” or “listening” to Jesus? What is the significance for your own life? Is it easier to “see” Jesus or “listen” to him? Explain your answer. Pray for those who lead, feed, and care for the flock, and their families (Col. 4:3, 2 Thess. 3:1): Pastor Doug and Steve Moeller Pray for these church members/families (1 Tim. 2:1, Eph. 6:18, Col. 1:9): Danny & Jill Lee, Robby & Shelley Lehtonen, Austin & Heather Lehtonen, Matthew & Jessica Lindeken, Mitch & Judy Lindeken Pray for “kings” and those in authority (1 Tim. 2:2): Local: Clark County Fire & Rescue; State: State Rep. Brian Blake ; Nation: President Donald Trump Pray for the Gospel to Spread Among All Peoples (Matt. 9:37-38): Those we directly support: India Evangelical Mission (IEM) An Unreached People Group: Bhuinhar (Hinduism, India)

Jon Paul, Senior Pastor

Jon Paul, Senior Pastor

Radio host and author Chuck Morse interviews Zvi Koenigsberg, author of The Lost Temple of Israel. The archaeological site in the story is Mt. Ebal. It is located north of the ancient city of Shechem – modern Nablus – the most populous city in what is known as the “West Bank”. The excavations of Mt. Ebal were headed by Professor Adam Zertal. The central feature of the site – a large structure – was identified by Zertal as the altar mentioned in the Bible which was built by Joshua (Josh. 8:30) in fulfillment of an earlier directive by Moses (Deut. 27:4) Chuck's column is published by Newsmax, books are available on Amazon.

Radio Host and author Chuck Morse interviews Zvi Koenigsberg, author of The Lost Temple of Israel The archaeological site in the story is Mt. Ebal. It is located north of the ancient city of Shechem – modern Nablus – the most populous city in what is known as the “West Bank”. The excavations of Mt. Ebal were headed by Professor Adam Zertal. The central feature of the site – a large structure – was identified by Zertal as the altar mentioned in the Bible which was built by Joshua (Josh. 8:30) in fulfillment of an earlier directive by Moses (Deut. 27:4) Chuck's column is published by Newsmax, his books are available on Amazon

Big Idea: Death cannot stop God’s plan for His people. What could stop us? Death/Fear of Death Funeral #1 = Moses (Deut. 34; Josh. 1:1-2) Funeral #2 = Joshua (Josh. 24:29-31) Funeral #3 = Joseph (Josh. 24:32; Gen. 50:22-26) Funeral #4 = Eleazar (Josh. 24:33) Funeral #5 = Adam (Gen. 3:17-18; 5:4; Rom. 5:12-14) Funeral #6 = Us (Rom. 6:23a; Eph. 2:1-2) Where’s the Hope? Jesus (Hebrews 4) -Perfectly Obedient -Embraced Suffering -Defeated Sin -Overcame Death -Reigns Eternally -Returns Victoriously (Wedding in Revelation 21-22) What now? Faith “All have sinned” and “The wages of sin is death” “The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ” -Confront the Reality of Death -Embrace the Hope of Life through Faith in Christ -Pray and Strive for Revival

Our Verses: Matt 11:3- John the Baptist's followers asked Jesus- “Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” Matt 26:63 A high religious leader demanded, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Strong Questions about a messiah! Messiah means the anointed one. Our Lord Jesus has the title of Christ. These 2 words-Messiah and Christ are synonyms. Both describe one who is to come; One above all others sent by God to heal and repair the world. When Jesus came to earth, His people, the Jews, were expecting the Messiah. There were clear Bible references to this. But...they had a different idea of what the Messiah would do. Their messiah was a king who would conquer Rome. Even his disciples thought this. Acts 1:6 They didn't understand the Old Testament reference to the death of the Messiah for his people. Isa 53. They engaged in wishful thinking- their goal was freedom from their oppressors and that couldn't happen if the Messiah died. Jesus had a different mission, a two part mission- first to redeem mankind through His death and resurrection; the second, to prepare mankind for His coming Kingdom. (we'll explain that in the next episode) Jesus Christ came as Messiah of all mankind, not just Israel. He would first die to pay for the sins of mankind and later... come back as King. On the day of His death the high religious leader demanded, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said “I am”. Mark 14:62 In summary, Both the ancients (men like Moses Deut 18:15 and Daniel 9:25) and Jesus contemporaries knew a Messiah or Christ was coming. All the prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Messiah. Next time, Messiah Part 2- Time to Decide!

Message from Milton Hayward on June 1, 2014

Sunday January 19thMatthew 1:1-17The gospel of Matthew has been described as “a book written by a Jewish man to his Jewish countrymen about the Jewish Messiah”, and that fact is established from the very first verse:“The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:”To our modern minds, a genealogy, or list of someone's ancestors, can seem pointless or boring, and we might even be tempted to skip over it so that we can get to the more interesting parts of the story. But we need to understand the importance of lineage to the Jewish people, and especially the lineage of the promised Messiah.If a man came along who did great miracles and taught wonderful truths and raised the dead and controlled the wind and the waves with his voice, but he WASN'T descended from Abraham, through Isaac, and then from David, then there was still NO WAY he could be the Messiah, based upon everything that God had already spoken prophetically.In his opening verse, Matthew is clearly establishing that Jesus DOES have the credentials to qualify as the Messiah because he IS a descendant of Abraham and David. Then Matthew spells it all out in more detail to drive home his point:2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of David the king.Just in case you missed this in the onslaught of names, this list of ancestors isn't exactly a who's who of perfect people! One commentary put it this way: “Jesus' genealogy reminds us that God often does the unexpected and chooses the unlikely.”For starters, Jewish genealogies hardly EVER mentioned the women in someone's lineage, only the men. Matthew will list a total of five women, and the three mentioned so far have quite interesting backgrounds. Tamar was Judah's daughter-in-law. Her story is found Genesis 38.Her husband Er, Jacob's son, was so evil that God killed him. Judah asked his second son to raise a family with Tamar, but he refused, so Judah promised Tamar that she could marry his youngest son after he got old enough. Then time went by and Judah never kept his promise, so Tamar disguised herself and Jacob, thinking she was a prostitute, got her pregnant with twin boys. One of them, Perez, is in the lineage of Jesus.Then we have Rahab. Tamar might have been mistaken for a prostitute, but Rahab WAS a prostitute! In Joshua Chapter 2 she helps two Israelite spies escape from Jericho and as a reward they spare her life when the city is conquered. Her son Boaz ends up marrying Ruth.Now Ruth was a lovely, virtuous woman (she even has a book in the bible named after her) but she had one little strike against her. Ruth was a Moabite, and Moabites were subject to a special curse in Deuteronomy 23:3–5 “No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the Lord; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the Lord, 4 because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.”So Ruth technically wasn't allowed to enter the tabernacle, but she WAS allowed to be David's grandmother! And now Matthew will continue listing Jesus' ancestors, from David on down:David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.So let's look at this next batch of family members:1.    David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. That's AFTER David had an affair with Bathsheba and then had Uriah killed to cover up his adultery!2.    Rehoboam was Solomon's son. He was such a terrible ruler that the nation of Israel ended up splitting into two separate kingdoms.3.    Rehoboam's son Abijah, according to 1 Kings 15, “walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord.”4.    The same was true of Ahaz. “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. 3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before the sons of Israel.” (2 Kings 16:2-3)5.    And again, here is what 2 kings 21:1-3 says about Manasseh: “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Hephzibah. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.”6.    By the time Jeconiah because king, God was pretty fed up with the disobedience of the nation of Judah, so He removed his protection from them and allowed the Babylonians to take them into captivity. But of course God is rich in mercy, and his plan to send a savior continued even during the time of captivity:12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.So it was a pretty bumpy road, with quite a few odd characters, but God accomplished His ultimate plan to bring forth the promised Messiah through the line of Abraham, Isaac, Judah, and David. To show that God knew exactly what He was doing, despite man's unfaithfulness, Matthew points out the mathematical precision of the genealogy:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.Remember that Matthew is establishing for Jewish readers that Jesus is truly the promised Messiah. “Messiah” is the Hebrew word for “anointed” The Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of the righteous Servant of the Lord (Is. 42:1–9), who will be a prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:18, 19), a priest like Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4), and a king like David, who was anointed by Samuel to be Israel's king. The word Christ comes from the Greek word Christos, which also means “anointed.” Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one!Luke 3:23–38 has a similar but slightly different genealogy because Luke traces Jesus' ancestors all the way back to Adam rather than just to Abraham. Luke also mentions only the men, not the women. But both Matthew and Luke emphasize that Jesus was a direct descendent of Abraham, through David.Personally, I think that Matthew's genealogy is a more encouraging list as far acknowledging and showing the sins, faults, and failures that were part of the lives of so many people who were used by God to accomplish His salvation plan.Why does that matter?Look at what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:26-28“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are.”You see, it doesn't matter if you, or your parents, or your grandparents, or your great-grandparents had flaws, even BIG flaws! God can still use you!In fact, Paul is saying that it's actually MORE LIKELY that God will use you if you come from a messed-up broken background!Who is God choosing to accomplish His purposes:The foolish things of the world and the weak things of the world and the base things of the world and the despised, the things that are not!Let me ask you a question, “the things that are not WHAT?”The things that are not wise, the things that are not strong, the things that are not mighty, the things that are not noble, the things that are considered worthless and incapable and unattractive by the world's standards; THESE are the ones that God has chosen!WE are the ones that God has chosen! Because when the wise and the strong and the mighty and the noble ones succeed in life, THEY get the recognition, THEY get the credit, THEY get the glory.But when the weak are MADE strong, when the foolish are MADE wise, when the unrighteous are MADE righteous, GOD gets the recognition, GOD gets the credit, and GOD gets the glory, because there was NO WAY we could have possibly turned around our lives without HIS help!THAT, my friends is what we mean by a TESTIMONY!I once was lost but now I'm found. And I didn't find myself, someone FOUND me!I once was blind but now I see. And I couldn't cure my blindness by myself, someone had to open my eyes!I once was weak, but now I'm strong,I once was bound up, powerless in my addictions, but now I've been SET FREE!What I used to think was my own wisdom was nothing more than the world's foolishness! But now I know TRUE wisdom, which is only found through faith in Christ, my Messiah, my anointed one, my savior.And if you see ANYTHING good in me today, give Him ALL the glory, because it was not by might or power of my own that these changes have come, but only by the power of the Spirit, the grace of God, and the blood of the lamb!

This week we begin a new series on the life of Joshua. Our theme for the series is: "If God is for us, who can be against us," from Romans 8:31. Over the next several weeks we will be looking at the account of the conquest of Canaan. This story took place about 1,400 BC. Moses has died and Joshua is instructed by the Lord to lead the Children of Israel across the Jordon River into the Promised Land. This is a fulfillment of a 500 year old promise to Abraham and its much anticipated achievement will not be accomplished without a significant amount of intrigue and struggle. Just like in our lives, God accomplishes his purposes in the midst of hard work and everyday life. In fact, sometimes his will is messy. While we look for grand and deep principles to ponder, he leads us around Jericho. This week our text introduces the book. Moses has just died; he was the "Servant of the Lord." Joshua is the new commander and chief; he is called "Moses' Aide." In fact, not until the last chapter after his death, is Joshua called "the Servant of the Lord." The text begins with promises to Joshua regarding the Lord's intent to give the land of Canaan to the Israelites. It includes a duplication of the promise to Abraham made some 500 years earlier (Gen. 15:7) repeated to Jacob (Gen. 28:13) and Moses (Deut. 11:24-25). It also contains warnings and promises to Joshua to insure a successful campaign. In particular it repeats the phrase "be strong and courageous" three times. A foreshadowing that this adventure would be far from easy. These people (1:6) had not proven to be the most malleable bunch. Moses could testify to the challenges of being the servant of the Lord keeping watch over this flock. Questions for Discussion: 1. Slide 2. Review the timeline from Abraham to Joshua. How did the Children of Israel get into Egypt in the first place? Why has it taken so long for the Lord to fulfill his promise? 2. Slide 8-10. The phrase "you will lead these people" may foreshadow problems. What kinds of problems had "these people" given Moses? What must Joshua be thinking? What does this tell us about the challenges of leadership? Why doesn't being in the center of God's will mean life is easy? What must Joshua learn in order to be (like Moses) the Servant of the Lord? 3. Slide 11-13. How do we keep the Word in mind? What does it mean to meditate on it day and night? Why is this, such a difficult challenge? Why is it so important? How do we bring the Word into our everyday decisions? 4. Slide 14-15. Have you ever experienced spiritual attack in terms of fear and discouragement? How have you overcome the enemy? What promises are helpful in this battle? In what ways does God's character as "The Lord" help us in resisting the emotional battle with fear and discouragement? Why is it so important to see Him as the Lord Our God?

This week we begin a new series on the life of Joshua. Our theme for the series is: "If God is for us, who can be against us," from Romans 8:31. Over the next several weeks we will be looking at the account of the conquest of Canaan. This story took place about 1,400 BC. Moses has died and Joshua is instructed by the Lord to lead the Children of Israel across the Jordon River into the Promised Land. This is a fulfillment of a 500 year old promise to Abraham and its much anticipated achievement will not be accomplished without a significant amount of intrigue and struggle. Just like in our lives, God accomplishes his purposes in the midst of hard work and everyday life. In fact, sometimes his will is messy. While we look for grand and deep principles to ponder, he leads us around Jericho. This week our text introduces the book. Moses has just died; he was the "Servant of the Lord." Joshua is the new commander and chief; he is called "Moses' Aide." In fact, not until the last chapter after his death, is Joshua called "the Servant of the Lord." The text begins with promises to Joshua regarding the Lord's intent to give the land of Canaan to the Israelites. It includes a duplication of the promise to Abraham made some 500 years earlier (Gen. 15:7) repeated to Jacob (Gen. 28:13) and Moses (Deut. 11:24-25). It also contains warnings and promises to Joshua to insure a successful campaign. In particular it repeats the phrase "be strong and courageous" three times. A foreshadowing that this adventure would be far from easy. These people (1:6) had not proven to be the most malleable bunch. Moses could testify to the challenges of being the servant of the Lord keeping watch over this flock. Questions for Discussion: 1. Slide 2. Review the timeline from Abraham to Joshua. How did the Children of Israel get into Egypt in the first place? Why has it taken so long for the Lord to fulfill his promise? 2. Slide 8-10. The phrase "you will lead these people" may foreshadow problems. What kinds of problems had "these people" given Moses? What must Joshua be thinking? What does this tell us about the challenges of leadership? Why doesn't being in the center of God's will mean life is easy? What must Joshua learn in order to be (like Moses) the Servant of the Lord? 3. Slide 11-13. How do we keep the Word in mind? What does it mean to meditate on it day and night? Why is this, such a difficult challenge? Why is it so important? How do we bring the Word into our everyday decisions? 4. Slide 14-15. Have you ever experienced spiritual attack in terms of fear and discouragement? How have you overcome the enemy? What promises are helpful in this battle? In what ways does God's character as "The Lord" help us in resisting the emotional battle with fear and discouragement? Why is it so important to see Him as the Lord Our God?

The Bible tells how Moses served the Lord, died, and was followed by Joshua who took over leadership and “the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses? (Deut. 33:5-9). God told Joshua He would be with him wherever he went (Josh. 1:5-9). But after Joshua and his generation died, “the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord? (Judges 2:8-11). Somehow the next generation didn’t have a faith relationship with the true God. This pattern showed itself again from David to Solomon to the next generation that turned their back on God. People very quickly forget who God is if they aren’t intentionally introduced to Him. Are you showing your children that a life lived for God is full of grace, peace, purpose, that it makes a difference here on earth, as well as for eternity? Do you trust in Jesus alone to cleanse you from your sins or do you do ‘good works’ to earn your acceptance into God’s kingdom? Is your relationship with God a priority that your family knows about?

The Bible tells how Moses served the Lord, died, and was followed by Joshua who took over leadership and “the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses? (Deut. 33:5-9). God told Joshua He would be with him wherever he went (Josh. 1:5-9). But after Joshua and his generation died, “the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord? (Judges 2:8-11). Somehow the next generation didn’t have a faith relationship with the true God. This pattern showed itself again from David to Solomon to the next generation that turned their back on God. People very quickly forget who God is if they aren’t intentionally introduced to Him. Are you showing your children that a life lived for God is full of grace, peace, purpose, that it makes a difference here on earth, as well as for eternity? Do you trust in Jesus alone to cleanse you from your sins or do you do ‘good works’ to earn your acceptance into God’s kingdom? Is your relationship with God a priority that your family knows about?