Pod Cast : 10-26-18
Who Is That Special Prophet Promised by Moses?
THAT GREAT, SPECIAL PROPHET PREDICTED BY MOSES?
Moses mentioned a 'great special prophet commonly called 'THAT PROPHET '. Moses assigns significant meaning to this great prophet to come. He is referred to as, 'that prophet '. Who is that prophet and what is his extremely special place in the future of Israel and all mankind? Moses promised the people that an even greater prophet from God than himself would arrive. It would be wonderful and they must listen to him.
Deuteronomy 18:15-18 NKJV 15 "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 "according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' 17 "And the LORD said to me: 'What they have spoken is good. 18 'I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
This coming prophet is vital to the salvation of Israel and all of us. He is very special. Moses was also special. Moses was a great prophet and man. He was greatest lawgiver and one of the greatest leader under God's guidance. Moses was the foremost teacher and a man of enormous faith and courage. He had superior education and vision. God had a lot of faith in Moses. Moses trusted God and God trusted Moses. Moses intercessory prayer saved about three million Israelites.
Deuteronomy 34:10-12 NKJV 10 But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, 12 and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
The prophet who would come in the fashion of Moses is one that all mankind must listen to and obey. This is not the only day of salvation. All will eventually be evaluated and forgiven by Christ or if defiant unrepentant sinners suffer the second death.
Deuteronomy 18:19 NKJV 19 'And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.'
This special prophet was mentioned in the first sermon of the Christian era at Pentecost. John the Baptist also was asked if he were that prophet and he said No! But the one following him would be that prophet. Jesus' ministry followed on the heels of John's. Note John 1:21,25.
Acts 3:20-23 NKJV 20 "and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22 "For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.' 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'
Clearly Jesus was the Great Prophet to come that would continue the ground breaking spiritual work of Moses and then some. Peter makes the connection between Moses and Jesus. Yet many in traditional Christianity still believe that the two were at odds. They teach that Jesus came to undo Moses work.
ARE CHRIST AND MOSES IN SYNC OR IN CONTRADICTIONS TO EACH OTHER?
Many believe that Jesus came to give us a pass with regards to the Law. They say we can live by grace which means to them, we can ignore any of the laws we wish. Is this belief Biblical? What did Jesus say about His connection to the Laws revealed by God thru Moses?
Matthew 5:17-18 MKJV 17 Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled.
Do we have a new heaven or a new earth yet ? Therefore not even a jot or tittle of the Law is done away. We have Christs' word on it. Jesus and Moses are in sync with each other. Christ brought grace to everyone and some conclude that this means the Law is done away. Is this true?
Romans 6:1-2 MKJV 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? 2 Let it not be! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Romans 7:7 MKJV 7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Let it not be said! But I did not know sin except through the Law. For also I did not know lust except the Law said, You shall not lust.
Law and grace work together. If there is no law you then do not need grace. If no grace all is lost.
Romans 7:11-12 MKJV 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12 So indeed the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.
We all need a lot of grace because we have human nature. But the goal of grace is not to avoid being obedient to God but to help us in our weaknesses so that we can grow to be more Godly. The new covenant is about putting God's Laws in hearts and minds. See Heb 8:10.
Romans 6:14-15 MKJV 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under grace? Let it not be!
Moses was a precursor of Jesus, of course, Christ so much greater than Moses. Jesus died for all mankind. No one can come close to that sacrifice. A member of the God Family becoming a lowly human being and sacrificing Himself for us! Wow! Yet it is clear that in some ways, Jesus is a continuation of the work of Moses. Therefor the Old and New Testaments work together and not in contradiction when fully understood.
2 Timothy 3:16 MKJV 16 All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Paul instructs one of his major pastor evangelists, Timothy, to use the only canonized Bible that existed at the time which is the Old Testament to guide believers in righteousness. Obviously the first century church in gentile areas understood the synchronization of the Old and New Testaments. They appreciated and used the great writings of Moses.
PAUL EXPLAINS THE GREATNESS OF MOSES AND JESUS CHRIST
Paul, in writing to Jewish believers who were wavering, told them of the connections between Moses and that prophet Moses predicted to come and further his historic work. Paul knew that as Jews, they revered the work of Moses. Therefore as great as Moses was in teaching, Jesus is overwhelmingly much greater.
Hebrews 3:1-2 MKJV 1 Therefore, holy brothers, called to be partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all his house.
The great Apostle who was also a very learned Bible scholar of his day, explains to these fellow Jewish believers that just as faithful as Moses was in standing for God, so is Jesus.
Hebrews 3:3-4 MKJV 3 For He was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, because he who has built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.
Paul explains that as spiritually great as Moses was, Jesus is tremendously greater. They are told not to neglect this glorious opportunity for so great a salvation because they do not appreciate Christ. Moses was great but Jesus is the core objective for believers. Moses would want them to follow Jesus's instructions and obey that prophesied prophet to come.
Hebrews 3:5-6 MKJV 5 And Moses truly was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken afterward. 6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over His own house; whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
Moses was a great servant but Christ is the Son. Moses was, in a sense, just the servant of the family of Jesus Christ, Paul is explaining. He is the one Moses was pointing all us toward.
Moses's intervening prayer saved physical Israel temporarily and Moses supplied that grace and our Lord Jesus Christ saves all of us spiritually permanently. See Numbers 14:10-20 for details of Moses saving all Israel physically at the time.
