God Calls A Servant

God Calls His Servant

Text:

Exodus 3-4

It is important to realize that the Old Testament events are pictures in "type" of things that happen and things that are happening in the lives of God's people, even today.

The Bible tells us these things:

1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

1Co 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

1Co 10:6 [Now these things were our examples], to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

1Co 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

1Co 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

1Co 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

1Co 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

1Co 10:11 [Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come].

Those that say the New Testament church does not need the Old Testament, do not read their Bibles.

The Servant:

We know the people of Israel were shepherds up to the time of their slavery. Joseph had seen that they were fed and kept safe.

They would never have called on God until they found themselves at this time with no options. That is a sad place to be in but it is true in our day. We have to get to a place where we do not see any escape before we call on God. We have to hit "rock bottom" just to find the "Rock of our Salvation". People talk about my awesome God and put Him down around this world but at my lowest point in life He reached out to me and saved me and He will do the same for each and everyone that calls on Him.

All he asks after that is our service, not to Him, but to others who are also at their lowest point in life:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, [that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice], holy, acceptable unto God, [which is your reasonable service].

*****Our Text:

Exo 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

Exo 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Exo 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

Exo 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Exo 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Exo 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exo 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

Moses had been trained to be a ruler in the government of Egypt and we can see he excelled in these things:

Act 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

Yet where do we find him?

"Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law"

Where was this flock?

"the desert": Not a stretch of sand as we think of as an utterly barren waste, but a wild, uninhabited region.

The "backside of the desert": The same Hebrew word is rendered "wilderness," and is used of the country lying between Egypt and Palestine, the wilderness of the wanderings. It was a grazing tract, where the flocks and herds of the Israelites found pasturage during the whole of their journey to the Promised Land.

The nation of Israel were all shepherds until they entered Egypt. In Egypt they learned not to be traveling nomads but to live in a society stationary in one place. While they completed their training it was time for Moses to learn how to be a shepherd.

We already know that this is a "type of Jesus" who left the royalty and the wonders of Heaven to come to this earth to make a way for our salvation.

Moses spent 40 years learning the art of sheepherding.

For 33 years Jesus Our Lord "Gave" up Heaven and volunteered to shepherd His Fathers flock:

Joh 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

We will see as Moses will deliver the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt but Jesus Christ delivers faithful believers in all parts of this world and in every age until He returns to gather up is family, who have been delivered from the bondage of Satan.

All the "types" of Jesus are just a shadow of the real thing. As we study the "types" of the Bible we must also realize that we do not use "types" to establish doctrine. "Typology" can only be used to illustrate what the Bible clearly teaches.

This "angel of the Lord":

This phrase is found 68 times in the Bible. It is found 19 times in the Book of Judges but only one time in the Book of Exodus in this chapter we are now in.

What is a "theophany"?

This is a physical manifestation of God. This usually refers to an appearance of Christ in human form in the Old Testament. This is a special revelation of the Lord. There are only a few that got to see God in this form where as everyone can see a general(spiritual) revelation if they only believe.

These "theophanies" prove Christ Jesus's eternal existance. A "theophany" then is the second person of the trinity (the Son) who appears in human form.

The proof lies in the reading of the scripture:

The "angel of the Lord" is recognized as deity and referred to as God:

"And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I"

This "angel of the Lord" could never be the Holy Spirit or the Father as they are never revealed in a physical form anywhere in the Bible.

The "angel of the Lord" ceases to appear after Christ is born.

Besides Moses, others also saw theophanies:

1.) Adam:

Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Gen 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

2.) Abraham:

Genesis 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

3.) Joshua:

Jos 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

4.) Gideon:

Jdg 6:22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

Jdg 6:23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

5.) Daniel:

Dan 6:21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

Dan 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

There are others such as Jacob and more......

Moses never forgot this manifestation of Our Lord that day. Forty years later Moses had these words:

Deu 33:16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, [and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush]: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

God's good will for each of us is a thing to always remember:

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: [but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God].

Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, [after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise].

What is that promise?

Heb 10:37 For yet a little while, and [he that shall come will come, and will not tarry].

and this promise:

1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: [but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever].

By the way the first thing Moses did that was right was that He answered when God called him! (Exodus 3:4)

God has an all volunteer Army!

*****Our Text:

Exo 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Exo 3:9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

Exo 3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Exo 3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Exo 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

Exo 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

What did Jesus say about these theophanies:

Joh 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Jesus said it was He that was this "I AM" of the Old Testament!

It is Jesus Christ the Messiah that then delivered the Nation of Israel out of bondage. They called Him Jehovah for that is also His name!

This angel appeared in a flame of fire. Fire is used as an emblem of "deity" in the Bible:

Isa 10:17 And [the light of Israel shall be for a fire], and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

Isa 10:18 And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.

This was the symbol of the Lord's presence with this people:

Exo 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because [the LORD descended upon it in fire]: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

Exo 19:19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

As we see there was not one thing more important to Moses this day as he turned to see the Lord!

What did Moses learn about God that day?

1.) We see immediately that it is God that will always reach out first.

2.) We can see that when it is this important God comes down to deliver the message Himself!

3.) We can also see God will always make sure you know that it is He that calls.

4.) We can also see that God is aware of everything that happens here on this earth.

5.) This is another reason prayer is so important!

Psa 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

If we want our prayers to be heard then there is one more thing we must!

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

We must confess all our sin in order to be heard of God!

Once we are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit then we must surrender to the will of God in order to have that perfect will of faith!

God would send a man, this time it was Moses, because God will work through mankind to have His will on this earth. God does not want a bunch of "puppets" but God does want a bunch of willingly faithful people.

Because Moses was receptive to God, God was able to speak to him!

Moses had not seen his people in forty years but he knew to lead such a large people would be a tremendous task. God had trained Moses for eighty years. God knew he was ready for this task because Moses would not be alone but God said:

"Certainly I will be with thee"

Moses questions the power of God.

We must clearly understand God!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for [he that cometh to God must believe that he is], and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Moses ask:

"Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

Moses had learned to be humble in the forty years he was tending sheep. Moses also knew this would be a great task for farmers and sheep herders to stand up against the Egyptian government. We have already read that Pharaoh had had these thoughts of Israel rebelling when he made slaves of them.

What we will see is that God will have His way in this world no matter what all people think. If it had not been Moses, it would have been some one else. God does not just stop if we do not want to be used of Him. Some one else will just get the blessing you could have gotten.

What is God's name?

Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

God said: I Am The God who has always been, am, and shall be: the God almighty, by whom all things have their being, and the God of mercy, mindful of my promise.

1. That He is self-existent: He has his being of Himself.

2. That He is eternal and unchangeable, and always the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever.

3. That He is incomprehensible; we cannot by searching find Him out: this name checks all bold and curious inquiries concerning God.

4. That He is Faithful and True to all His promises, unchangeable in His word as well as in His nature; "let Israel know this, I AM hath sent me unto you. "I am", and there is none else besides me".

Mal 3:6 For "I am" the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

When God repeats Himself here he means that there will never be a time that He is not on His throne!

We can be sure Jehovah God has not changed. He is not some old gray haired God sitting up in Heaven just waiting on us to get right.

God is just as much at work on this earth as He has always been and He has not changed His ways of salvation and never will.

There is no world church!

THERE IS ONLY THE CHURCH THAT CHRIST JESUS BUILT!

Our Text:

Exo 3:15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Exo 3:16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

Exo 3:17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

Exo 3:18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

Exo 3:19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

Exo 3:20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

Exo 3:21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:

Exo 3:22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

The Hebrew YAHWEH is the English word JEHOVAH!

He is never called the living Jehovah but always the living God. Jehovah cannot ever be conceived as other then living! So it is "Jehovah the God" or "Jehovah your God"! Jehovah is then the "only true God".

Isa 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Isa 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

Isa 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

Isa 45:6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Jehovah is a The Holy God!

Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

When we continue to read of Moses and his excuses it would be good to point out that God will also use volunteers in a mighty way!

There are not many in the Bible but Isaiah was one:

Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? [Then said I, Here am I; send me].

We should be more like Isaiah rather than make excuses like Moses!

As soon as Moses understood he was dealing with the Almighty God, God gave him his instructions. Moses did not have the written word of God at this time but we do!

So as soon as we know who the Almighty God is and are saved we should take Gods Word as it is written and do as He says!

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Because we do have the written Word of God!

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

God tells Moses that Pharaoh will not listen to God's Words but He will listen to God's actions!

If we consider that everything belongs to God and it does, He just allows us to use them, then for the children of Israel to borrow from the Egyptians was not like stealing. That word "borrow" in the Hebrew means to ask or to make a request. Those things were freely given to them. Verse 21 tells us that God gave them favor in site of the Egyptians which means that the Egyptian people would help these Hebrew children when it came time for them to leave.

Our Text:

Exo 4:1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

Exo 4:2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

Exo 4:3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

Exo 4:4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

Exo 4:5 That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

Exo 4:6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

Exo 4:7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

Exo 4:8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

Exo 4:9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

We must first know that God does not call on those He thinks will qualify to do His work but God will QUALIFY THOSE HE CALLS.

This time with Moses is a perfect picture of the patience of God.

Peter said:

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God will not just abruptly come to destroy this earth and all that live on it. God's Word will be fulfilled just as it is written. He has told us of the signs of His second coming and this is the only warning we will get.

To the church we need to know:

1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

1Th 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Col 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

How could the church be at peace and in comfort if God's children were to be a part of His wrath.

1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The comfort of the church centers around the Rapture! (I Thessalonians 4:13-17)

What were the evidences of God's presence to Moses:

1.) God first changed the shepherd's rod of Moses into a serpent.

We must first realize that a sign points to a meaning beyond the sign itself. This the same for a street sign as it is for a biblical sign. we should always search for the meaning of a "sign". These signs to Moses were outward evidence of the presence of God. These signs were not for Moses but to show to the children of Israel who knew Moses was just a man and to Pharaoh who believed in sorcery.

Only God can create life:

Moses called this rod "the rod of God" after this. This is the first time we see the phrase "the rod" in the Bible but it will be use many times after this.

The "sign" of this rod was God's way of showing Moses that he would have victory over Pharaoh and the god's of Egypt.

2.) The leprous hand:

Leprosy is a slow, progressing, and was incurable in the time of the Moses. For it appear so quickly and then disappear so quickly could only have been of God.

This was a "sign" of the danger of ignoring the Word of God. Leprosy is a "type" of sin in the Bible. Only God can cleanse us of sin!

1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We are the lepers of this world until we meet Jesus and are washed in His blood:

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Eph 1:7 [In whom we have redemption through his blood], the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

3.) The water to blood:

Those on this earth that ignore the cleansing power of the "blood of Jesus" will see a lot of blood during the tribulation period. At this time of Moses, God would show Pharaoh and Egypt what he thought of their gods. The River Nile was treated as a god in Egypt because it brought life to the land so crops could be raised. This water of this river and all rivers come from the one who created all things.

Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Gen 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Gen 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Gen 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Gen 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

And of Jesus Christ:

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

When we place anything on this earth in front of Jehovah God we have made that thing a god.

The Nile was considered as divine, with life and prosperity that came from it. Step-by-step and god-by-god, The Lord God will clearly show He is the only (ONLY) living and true God even in Egypt!

Our text:

Exo 4:10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Exo 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

Exo 4:13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

Exo 4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

Exo 4:15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

Exo 4:16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

Exo 4:17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

Exo 4:18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

What we see is that the Bible does not hide the humanity of Moses. If anything the Bible tells us that God knows all our weaknesses and yet He can use everyone He calls and everyone that volunteers.

God will never ask you to do something that you cannot do!

Moses had had five excuses and they were:

1.) He had no ability.

God tells us:

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

2.) He had no message.

God tells us:

1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

3.) He had no authority.

God says:

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

4.) He had no eloquence.

God says:

2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

5.) He had no inclination to do the work of God.

God says:

Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Php 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Moses was reminded as we should be:

Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Who is the Creator?

Psalms 139 fits well here.

Our Text:

Exo 4:19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

Exo 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

Exo 4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

Exo 4:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Exo 4:24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

Exo 4:25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

Exo 4:26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

Exo 4:27 And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

Exo 4:28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

Exo 4:29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:

Exo 4:30 And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

Exo 4:31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

It is important for us to have a realistic expectation about what God is doing in our lives! To have the correct "fear of the Lord" we must know that God will never do anything that is not the RIGHT THING TO DO!

God wanted Moses to know that it would be a long and difficult process but in the end Israel would be released by this Pharaoh to go to the "Promised Land". Just because we have certain skills they may not be the skills that God needs.

In fact there is only one ability that God truly needs and that is AVAILABILITY!

God wants us just as we are and He will teach us His Ways!

The Lord told Moses that all that were seeking his death were now dead themselves.

Moses had that rod that would break the pride of Pharaoh but when we go to the battle field we carry with us the "Sword of the Lord" the pure Word of God.

When Moses gave in to the work of the Lord, he had to return that flock of sheep home to his father-n-law. He then out of respect for this man, Moses asked for his permission as was the custom of this time in the Near East.

When the phrase "harden his heart" is used we can see that the Lord applied pressure to this Pharaoh to make decisions. God was squeezing his heart forcing him to respond. As supreme leader of the Egyptians Pharaoh certainly did not have to respond to any outsider to his nation.

God knew what answers would come from this Monarch but it was Pharaoh that made those decisions. All the writers of the Old Testament understood this. It is only mankind in our modern societies that are confused about these passages.

God was laying the foundation for His final plague, the death of the "first born son". This is also the first time in the Bible where Israel is mentioned as the first born son of God.

In the days of Moses no one believed that gods had to be "Just". Nor does any false religion teach this of their false gods but Moses was being taught that Jehovah God was a "just" God.

Moses later wrote:

Deu 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: [a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he].

Once Moses yielded to the work of the Lord, he should have gotten his own house in order. God was fulfilling the promised covenant of Abraham and God had given Abraham a sign of this covenant.

Gen 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Gen 17:11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

Gen 17:12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

Gen 17:13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Gen 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

We can be sure that circumcision was not a thing that the religion of Jethro honored but God was not going to allow Moses to lead His people without first being obedient to the Word of God.

The Bible says:

Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

The House of Israel could not be built if God's man did not honor His Word:

Jesus said:

Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

It is Zipporah that takes drastic action to save her son though she did not understand why, she just responded like many today that it must be a bloody religion but we know the truth. This covenant with Abraham must be kept at this time.

But to that lost person and to all believers the Bible says:

Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

When they met Moses told Aaron of God's Word. Upon arriving back in Egypt the elders were gathered and Aaron spoke all these things to them while they were also showed the signs given to Moses.

This would always be the case with Israel:

Paul wrote:

1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1Co 1:22 [For the Jews require a sign], and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

1Co 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The people of Israel may have thought that God had forgotten them but suddenly they had heard from Him. God knows all our sufferings and will alway do something about them.

In spite of Moses responding so slowly to the call of the Lord, he went in faith to challenge the government and the military structures of the most powerful nation on earth at this time.

We can search hard but as Christians we have no excuses for not answering the call of God!

The Bible still says:

1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: [because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world].

Let's Pray!

God Prepares Deliverance

God Prepares Deliverance

Our Text:

Book of Exodus Chapters 1, 2

The Book of Exodus is about the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt and the beginning of this nation.

The word "Exodus" means: to go out from, to depart. We get our English word "exit" from this same word.

There are two basic themes in the Book of Exodus:

1.) Deliverance. (Redemption)

2.) Sanctification.

When Jacob and his sons, and their families went into Egypt, it was a large family, however what we see immediatly as the Book of Exodus opens is that this family has grown into a nation.

The word "nation" originally meant a family or race of people descended from a common progenitor, like a tribe, but by emigration, conquest and intermixture of people of different families it has lost this meaning in our day.

The Book of Exodus is one of the most important books of the Old Testament. It shares with us much history about the Nation of Israel at her beginning.

This was a trip from slavery to freedom!

This in "type" is an example of the Christian's trip from the bondage of Satan and to the Freedom of the Lord Jesus because of the "Cross".

We will see one man dominate this entire book. His name was Moses.

The importance of the Book of Exodus reaches far greater than Moses. This book is not only a human story but it is also a divine story as well.

This book's records shows us God's redemptive act in the history of this people. Exodus shows us how God can prepare a man and begin that preparation long before that man could even know. God transformed Moses from a meek and stubborn man into a great man of faith and of prayer.

We can truly see the love of God for His people.

This book will take us further than we realize, for the Christian we can see in "type" the New Testament understanding of the mission and message of Jesus.

When God redeemed this people from Egypt, He established His authority by giving them a covenant. This Book of Exodus is the story of two covenant partners(God and Israel).

The most important historical event was Israel's deliverance from Egypt. This liberation was incomplete without the covenant at Mount Sinai.

God had told Abraham that this would happen sometime after his death:

Gen 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

Gen 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

We find in Exodus 12:40 that this prophesy held true:

Exo 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

Exo 12:41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

Exo 12:42 It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.

Stephen, the first Deacon of the New Testament church repeated this to unbelieving Jews just before he was stoned to death for preaching the Gospel:

Act 7:6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.

Act 7:7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

The laws that were given to Israel have been the foundation of law in most all nations even unto our day:

Paul wrote:

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Once you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour then those laws are fulfilled with the Law of Love, The Commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

*****Lets begin:

Exo 1:7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

Exo 1:8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

Exo 1:9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

Exo 1:10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

Exo 1:11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

Exo 1:12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

Exo 1:13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

Exo 1:14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

Exo 1:15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:

Exo 1:16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

Exo 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

Exo 1:18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

Exo 1:19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.

Exo 1:20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

Exo 1:21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

Exo 1:22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

The verses 1-7 tells us that this was a large family that had gone into Egypt and not one of the founding fathers were alive at this time. This family had multiplied greatly. That land that was filled with them would be the land of Goshen.

It was the King of Egypt at that time of Joseph that had placed the children of Israel in Goshen.

Gen 45:9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

Gen 45:10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:

Remember these people were called the "children of Israel" because they were of the family of Jacob whose name God changed to Israel.

Gen 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. It is because of this fact that many in the Arab world hate the children of Israel for they are the descendants of Abraham through Esau and Ishmael.

God set Israel apart for a special purpose. That did not make them a better people but just a tool in the hands of a loving God:

God made a promise to Abraham and God keeps "ALL" His promises!

We will see that the Exodus deliverance, the Sinai covenant and that forty year wilderness journey all will provide models for the Christian life. Not only in things to do but also as important, things not to do.

We all have to make choices in our lives but still the most important choice we make is where do we want to spend eternity:

Pilate, just before he sentenced Jesus to death, ask a question of the children of Israel and the Jews:

Mat 27:22 Pilate saith unto them, "What shall I do then with Jesus" which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

This is the most important question we all have, "what shall I do with Jesus". To ignore the call of God by His Holy Spirit, is then to crucify Jesus again. The Lord Jesus Christ will never go to the cross again. He said Himself "it is finished".

If you do not accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior while you are alive, you have ignored the Word of God. We will learn all these principles in the Book of Exodus.

Another promise God made to Abraham and has kept all these years is:

Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Not only has God done this thing, He also added a curse to all other nations that hate Israel. It is in great benefit to our Nation of America that we bless Israel rather than curse Israel. If we believe the Bible then we must also believe this part of it also.

Israel's bondage resulted from a king,(pharaoh) who did not know Joseph. Joseph was a Hebrew. In History it says the the Hyksos were rulers of Egypt in his time. These are not native Egyptians but conquerors from another land. When the Egyptians came back to power they did not acknowledge Israel as a people so the term "did not know Joseph" is used. Notice that even in our day the Nation of Israel is not acknowledged as a nation or even as a people by most all her neighbors and a lot of the world.

In "type" we will see this same message to all those that do not call on the name of the Lord Jesus and become God's children:

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Your name must be written down in the Lamb's(Jesus's) Book of Life before God will "know" you!

The world we live in and many of it's leaders do not know Jesus Christ and still reject Him and His message.

Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

Since the truth of the Bible is being systematically replaced with version after version which are really perversions, these people will never know the true history of God's people, the truth about God's Son, Jesus Christ nor the New Testament church.

If we do not have faith in the same God of Israel then we have placed our faith in the things of this world.

This world where we live fear Jesus and respond with hatred and rage toward Him and all those that believe on Him.

But the Bible says:

1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: [because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world].

1Jn 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jn 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

When this Pharaoh looked at the numbers of the children of Israel, he realized that if they turned on Egypt, he would have a hard time keeping them under control even if he could.

Why does this world think that you can control people with abuse and hate. Only love is the proven power of freedom!

These Egyptians chose to abuse these children of God and to use them for their own benefit. To choose wisely should have meant to show wisdom and prudence. We will see that this Pharaoh was not very wise.

From where does wisdom come?

Psa 111:10 [The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom]: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Pro 1:7 [The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge]: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Pro 9:10 [The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding].

We can see there is no wisdom until there is a "Holy Fear" of the Lord God Almighty!

The world will never understand this.

Once we have the fear of the Lord firmly in our heart then we can ask Him and he will give us all the wisdom we need:

Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

What is a taskmaster? It was the job of the taskmaster to find work for all the Hebrew children and place the proper amount in each work location. We know that there were many of the Hebrew people at this time as many as 2 million or more. This was a sizable work force so it required many taskmasters. This brought slavery to God's people. They were in bondage to Egypt.

This time in the history of Israel is referred to many times in the Bible and in "type" is a picture of being in bondage to Satan and his children from which the Lord Jesus Christ set us free.

Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Heb 2:16 [For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham].

Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Christ Jesus was also a Hebrew of Israel(a Jew). To deny Israel is also to deny the Lord Jesus!

Rigour(rigor) means: Strictness; exactness without allowance, latitude or indulgence.

These taskmasters caused the work to be extremely harsh on the children of Israel. This goes beyond slavery to extreme abuse.

We see how Pharaoh tried to begin the first abortion clinics and that after full term. Why just the boys? If Satan could breed the nation of Israel into non-existance then there would be no Savior in the time of Mary and Joseph.

We in America need to have great shame in allowing abortion. This is the murder of children in every sense but this nation is also following in the trap of non-existance as it is. With births at less than two per family our nation cannot survive as the free nation that it is. With the Muslim world growing at 6 to 8 children per family it's only a matter of time before they will be in majority throughout this world.

Even greater than that if the church does not stop "spiritual abortion" of God 's People and concentrate on our job there may not even be a church in the time of our children and grandchildren. I believe this to be another sign of the soon to coming rapture of the church.

Our job:

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This work of the Lord is not a priority in the modern church!

Jesus said:

Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. [Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?]

Did those midwives lie to Pharaoh? No! These women of Israel were strong because they were having many children in obedience to God and because of the harsh times because of the bondage. It was a rare thing for them to need a midwife when there own families were there to help. They were lively!

It was the Egyptian women that had much need of a midwife.

God expects us all as Christians to be lively, lively stones as Jesus was and is the Chief Stone:

1Pe 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

1Pe 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Those midwives were blessed of God because they were obedient to Him rather than the government of the nation of Egypt.

God says: "Thou shalt not kill"!

They may not have had these laws at that time but they knew in their heart to kill babies was wrong!

Pharaoh then placed the murder of babies in the hands of his police and all that obeyed him. Remember the Pharaoh was as a god to the Egyptians and the Nile river was also worshipped as a god. Pharaoh used false religion to try to conquer God's people. We can see this even in our day from the false religions of this world.

*****Our Text:

Exo 2:1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.

Exo 2:2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.

Exo 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.

Exo 2:4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

Exo 2:5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.

Exo 2:6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.

Exo 2:7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?

Exo 2:8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.

Exo 2:9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.

Exo 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

Exo 2:11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.

Exo 2:12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

Exo 2:13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?

Exo 2:14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.

Exo 2:15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

Exo 2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

Exo 2:17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

Exo 2:18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?

Exo 2:19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

Exo 2:20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

Exo 2:21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

Exo 2:22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

Exo 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

Exo 2:24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

Exo 2:25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

Meet Amram and Jochebed:

Exo 6:20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.

Num 26:59 And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.

God had told the children of Israel to keep marriages within the family at this time to keep the children of Israel not only separate from the Egyptians but also to keep tribal separation. God wanted the bloodline of Israel to remain pure. God had separated all the nations at the Tower of Babel and has yet not pulled them all back together. You will not find interracial marriage as being acceptable to God beyond the Church, the Bride of Christ:

1Co 7:39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; [only in the Lord].

I'm not sure this means it is ok to wed one of another race but it is the only place I know that has permission from the Word of God.

Two Christians are in the same family no matter their background!

This baby was a goodly child, healthy and unblemished. Jochebed had great faith in the Lord to do the things she did:

Heb 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

These parents of Moses had no thought of abandoning this child and came up with a great plan for his salvation.

That "ark":

Jochebed gave much attention and used caution in preparing that "ark".

"when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink"

These bulrushes were a commonly used plant for many purposes and making a boat similar to canoes was one of their uses. This slime and pitch was imported from the dead sea for the purpose of being used as mortar and as a sealant but Jochebed also added pitch which is a tar like substance. This little "ark" once water proofed was placed in a spot where it would not float aimlessly down stream but exactly where the Egyptian princess came to bath.

Moses sister stood watch to be sure the plan went as was conceived and it did and even greater for Jochebed was hired and paid to insure the safety of her own child.

God responded to the faith of Jochebed. The providence of God was at work here and only the "God of Heaven" can enact such a supernatural act and complete it with such detail.

Moses was spared:

"And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept"

It probably din't hurt much for God to reach down and pinch baby Moses to cause him to weep.

It also shows that most women have that mothering instinct for all children, even those not their own.

The name Moses means "drawn out" because he was drawn out of the water.

Moses was born at the time of Pharaoh's order to kill all Hebrew children. God intervened and Moses was saved alive to become a royal prince in Egypt.

This in "type" was like the birth of Jesus. When Jesus was born of the "Virgin Mary", Herod tried to slay all the children 2 years old and younger in hope of killing Jesus.

Mat 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

Mat 2:14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

As Moses was a prince in the house of Pharaoh, Jesus was a prince from birth in the house of David.

As Moses at the age of 40 sacrificed his adopted royalty:

Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

We see Jesus:

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We will see more about Moses as we move forward.

When God changes things, He Moves In Remarkable Ways!

During his first 40 years Moses had been trained in the best schools of Egypt. He had been trained by the best military minds of Egypt. He had learned how to sustain an army while away from home and in battle situations. All these things would serve him well when it came time to lead his people out of Egypt.

The next 40 years of the life of Moses changed as he fled from the face of Pharaoh.

In the wilderness training of God, the luxury of Egypt disappeared and Moses became patient, reverent and humble:

Num 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

Moses became a lowly shepherd. Moses was given a "Gentile Bride".

Upon his rejection by his fellow Israelites, Moses left Israel, went to a gentile land, and took for himself a bride.

Upon His rejection by His fellow Israelites, Jesus turned to the gentile nations and took, and is taking, for himself a bride.

Now it would be wrong to say that the bride of Christ is only gentile, for there are many Jewish believers in Christ. But on the whole, in the age in which we live, the nation of Israel has been hardened and the church is predominantly gentile, just as it is written –

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

The disciples struggled to understand this. All they had been taught was that when the Messiah came, He would rule and reign in His Kingdom, from Jerusalem, and all of Israel’s enemies would be defeated!

God had patiently developed Moses for 80 years to be the great man that he was and yet he was still a man.

1.) He was still not perfect.

2.) He would still make many mistakes.

3.) He would learn that it is God that is in control.

No one understood that God's plan was already working. These Israelite would never consider leaving Egypt if God had not placed this Pharaoh on the throne. If the parents of Moses had gotten caught in the abortion of babies, then there would not have been a baby Moses. If Moses had become the Egyptian that he was trained to be, he would have ignored the Jewish slaves. All these things worked to further God's plan.

God has a plan for each one of us:

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Will we see that Moses was a "type" of Christ?

I. Moses as a Type of Christ.

A. Moses was extraordinary in infancy. (Exodus 2:2; Luke 2:40)

B. While in infancy, attempts were made on his life. (Exodus 1:22; Matthew 2:13)

C. Moses was a chosen deliverer. (Exodus 3:10; Acts 7:34-35; Luke 4:18; I Thessalonians 1:10; II Corinthians 1:10)

D. Moses was a prophet. (Deuteronomy 18:15; John 6:14)

E. Moses was a priest. (Psalm 99:6; Hebrews 7:23-2 7)

F. Moses, like Jesus, was a king. (Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22-26; Deuteronomy 33:4-5; Matthew 2:2 and 2 7:29; Acts 1 7

G. Moses, like Jesus, was a shepherd. (Exodus 3:1; John 10:11; Hebrews 13:20; I Peter 5:4)

H. Moses and Jesus were mediators. (Exodus 33:8; I Timothy 2:5)

I. Both were intercessors. (Numbers 21:7; Romans 8:34)

J. Jesus and Moses refused the glory of the Kingdoms. (Hebrews 11:24-27; Matthew 4:8-10)

K. Both were rich, but became poor for the sake of others. (Hebrews 11:26; II Corinthians 8:9)

L. Both were called out of Egypt. (Hebrews 11:27; Matthew 2:15)

M. Moses and Jesus were rejected by men, but exalted by God. (Acts 7:35; Matthew 8:26-27)

N. Moses and Jesus provided water to the thirsty. (Exodus 17:6; John 7:37)

0. Moses and Jesus became advocates for their people. (Numbers 27:5; I John 2:1)

P. Both Moses and Jesus had transfigured faces. (Exodus 34:29; Matthew 17:1-2)

Q. Both called 70 men for special services. (Numbers 11:16-17; Luke 10:1)

R. Both are connected with the blood covenant. (Exodus 24:8; Luke 22:20)

S. Both are connected with a midnight cry. (Exodus 11:6; Matthew 25:6)

T. Both received a Gentile Bride. (Exodus 2:21; Ephesians 4:29-32)

U. Both obtained pardon for others. (Numbers 14:17; Ephesians 4:32)

Let's Pray!

Jesus Is Coming Soon

GET READY JESUS IS COMING SOON

Revelation Chapter 22

This has been my most exciting time in the Book of Revelation. I know I do not have everything correct BUT I know for sure that God has all His word perfect and true, in fact He will caution us in this chapter about dealing with His Holy word.

We must take the word of God for what it says. God means what He says and he says what he means. Unless God tells us different we should just read and accept what God says, rightly divided and remember that all scripture is for our learning.

No one, NO ONE, can tell you they understand everything that the Holy Ghost has delivered to us in this book. The Key to the Bible can be only one thing:

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for [he that cometh to God must believe that he is], and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

1.) He that comes to God must believe that He exist!

2.) He rewards those that "diligently" seeks Him!

3.) IT TAKES FAITH IN HIS HOLY WORD TO PLEASE HIM!

4.) And it is just that simple! Praise God.

"He that comes to God must believe that He is God" God makes no explanation for Himself. He has always existed and will always exist eternally. That'a why it is called faith even though He has given us more than enough evidence to see that there must be a God, a CREATOR and therefore A SAVIOUR.

This Almighty God that "created" it all was the only one that could save His creation.

So what we have is a prepared place for a prepared people:

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. [I go to prepare a place (for you)].

Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place [for you], (I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also).

I know by the response to these lessons that there are many out there who do not believe the words of the book of Revelation and many more that do not believe the word of God at all. Many refuse to see the obvious. "It took an almighty God to create this place we live called Earth." The key to Gospel of Christ and God's word really rest in just one thought:

Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

To continue, most of what we know about "eternity" is found in Chapters 21 and 22 of this great book of the Bible. If we just allow God's word to sink in we can see the most beautiful place that has ever existed. There is nothing on this Earth that we can compare to the New Jerusalem. At this time all the battles are over. All the plagues and the wrath of God have ceased. The old Earth is gone.

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face [the earth and the heaven fled away]; and there was found no place for them.

All things have been made new:

Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

THE PROBLEM OF SIN HAS BEEN FOREVER SETTLED!

The Book of Revelation has connected us many times back to the first Book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis. We have now come full circle. We have a new Earth and a new Heaven above that Earth. You see there will never be another book added to the Bible. "IT IS A COMPLETE BOOK ". With the fulfillment of this prophesy, We that know the Lord will be in eternal glory. Those that have rejected Him will be in eternal damnation, [by their own choice].

Why should we rejoice?

2Co 5:1 says For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, [we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens].

Why should we rejoice?

Luk 10:20 says Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, [because your names are written in heaven].

What are we looking for?

Tit 2:13 says Looking for that blessed hope, and [the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ];

Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Who are the happy people?

"Those that are looking for the return of Christ!"

*****Our Text:

Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

(Water of life)

There is no doubt that there will be a beautiful river in New Jerusalem, "a river of life" and there have been many throughout all time looking for the fountain of life. There will be one in New Jerusalem but it has been here all along. Maybe it has not been visible to the eye but there is a Saviour who has said from the beginning that "He was that river of life".

There was a woman of Samaria who went to a well to draw water one time and she met Jesus:

Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Jesus stood up in the Temple one day before it was destroyed with these words:

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

We can believe that there will be that Pure River of Life in the New Jerusalem and it will be there but our River of Life already exist while we are on this Earth:

You see following John 7:38 we find this verse:

Joh 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

You see until we get to Heaven a saint of God is alive now through the Holy Spirit.

A Psalmist wrote of this time many years ago:

Psa 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psa 46:2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Psa 46:3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Psa 46:4 [There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God], the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

Psa 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

Psa 46:6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

Psa 46:7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Psa 46:8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

Psa 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Psa 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psa 46:11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Water is an emblem of the Holy Spirit and He signifies eternal life as Jesus told that woman at the well in Samaria:

Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

You know the prophet Isaiah also wrote of this:

Isa 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isa 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Also Joel:

Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that [I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh]; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

It's obvious that the pouring would be as water poured on a person and so the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Life:

Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Just as the Holy Spirit was involved in Creation(Genesis 1:2) So He will also involved in the creation of the New Heaven, The New Earth, and New Jerusalem.

Psa 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Psa 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

Job 26:13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

It is the Spirit that gives life to the Messiah and to every saint of God:

1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

It is the Holy Spirit that brings "regeneration".

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

When we understand this it is easy to see that all religions are not the same. There is only one Christ, (the Messiah) brought back to life by the Holy Spirit, and sent by the Father, God from Heaven.

Not three different persons but the same person in His three forms.

1.) The Holy Spirit is God but He is not the Father and he is not the Christ!

2.) The Father is God but He is not the Holy Spirit and He is not the Christ.

3.) Jesus Christ is God but He is not the Father and He is not the Holy Spirit.

4.) YET, THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD!

And we are created in this image!

A "tree of life" will also be in the New Jerusalem and the "tree of life" represents Jesus Christ! He is our tree of life now as we live for Him today.

1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but [he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God]?

1Jn 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

You know the Bible will always lead you to Jesus no matter what the world says!

The Prophet Jeremiah said:

Jer 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

Jer 17:8 For [he shall be as a tree planted by the waters], and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Jesus Himself said of the Holy Spirit back in chapter two:

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; [To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God].

The Psalmist wrote of the believer:

Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The wise man wrote of "WISDOM":

Pro 3:18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

Pro 3:19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.

Notice the picture of the Holy Trinity in these verses:

1.) This river proceeds from the throne of God.

2.) This river proceeds from the throne of the Lamb.

3.) This river of life symbolizes the Holy Spirit.

How many times does God have to say it before we accept His truth?

(In the midst of the street)

How many times have you driven through a beautiful city and seen trees planted between the ongoing traffic. This place of New Jerusalem will be more beautiful than we can imagine and have fruit for every season.

And beautiful rivers with the majestic trees growing along it's banks. God tells us more about the beauty of New Jerusalem in these passages than in any other place in the Bible. But there is also the spiritual meaning here.

The twelve manner of fruit that we have now on this Earth if you are a "born again" child of God:

1.) Glory.

1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; [for the spirit of glory and of God] resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

2.) Life.

Rom 8:2 [For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus] hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3.) Holiness.

Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, [according to the spirit of holiness], by the resurrection from the dead:

4.) Wisdom.

Exo 28:3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with [the spirit of wisdom], that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

5.) Understanding.

Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and [understanding], the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

6.) Counsel.

Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, [the spirit of counsel] and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

7.) Knowledge.

Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, [the spirit of knowledge] and of the fear of the LORD;

8.) Might.

Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and [might], the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

9.) Fear of the Lord.

Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and [of the fear of the LORD];

10.) Truth.

Joh 14:17 Even [the Spirit of truth]; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

11.) Grace.

Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto [the Spirit of grace]?

12.) Supplication.

Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, [the spirit of grace and of supplications]: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

You see in the eternal Grace of God everyone in Heaven will partake of this fruit throughout eternity and we will love as God loves.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

(those leaves)

We know it is our Lord Jesus that brings healing:

Mal 4:2 says But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

1Pe 2:24 says Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

In the words of Jesus the Christ:

Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

*****Our Text:

Rev 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

When Adam listened to his wife instead of to the Lord:

Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

To Cain the first to shed innocent blood:

Gen 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

Gen 4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

Gen 4:13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Gen 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

Gen 4:15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Gen 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

This should be a sign to all that think they can strap on a bomb in the name of some false religion and kill innocent people. Cain will be separated from God throughout eternity!

THERE WILL NEVER BE A NEED FOR A CURSE IN GOD'S NEW CREATION. IF YOU HAVE THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT THERE WILL BE LOVE AND RESPECT FOR ALL OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS EVERYWHERE.

*****Our Text:

Rev 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

In the old world, the one we live in now, no one can look upon the face of the Lord and live:

Exo 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

There are those that say we will never look upon the the face of God. If that were true than we would have to throw this verse out of the Bible. Just as all the rest we need to accept the word of God just as it is written, rightly divided.

"WE WILL NOT HAVE ANY TROUBLE REMEMBERING HIS NAME"!

*****Our text:

Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

We know that in the creation of the world we now live in the time began in verse five of the book of Genesis:

Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

What we see in our text verse is that when there is no more night then there will be no more time as we know it and we will be in the time of God or as we say eternity. We will live in the presence of God forever.

Here is an interesting thought. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. It is said that if a person could travel that fast, his time would stop. Our Lord Jesus said that it is "He is the Light of eternal life".

*****Our text:

Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

When we first began this study of the book of Revelation we read that this book is the revealing, the unveiling of Jesus Christ our Lord. and He came to the Apostle John so we would have this record. John was told to write down all these things and give them to the Church. This message is for the Church. This study comes with the blessing of God and I hope everyone has gotten their blessing as I have been blessed many times during this study. Remember it is the teacher who is blessed the most sometimes. God wrote:

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Rev 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Now at the end of this book we see that God has said that we can believe what He wrote for us because it is all true. God cannot lie:

Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

God promised eternal life, not death, to all those that believe upon Him and His word. I believe, how about you?

God does not live or abide by our time so when He writes about coming shortly it is still the truth. His coming and it will be shortly compared to the eternal time clock of the Lord. Even those that say He is not coming is a sign that it is about time for Him to come.

The Apostle Peter wrote:

2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

2Pe 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

*****Our text:

Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

What this verse tells us is that when the Mighty God of Heaven does come it will be quick. This word quickly means more "suddenly" than it does "fast".

Christ tells us four times that He will come as a thief. That is without warning! A thief does not call you to tell you he is coming.

1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

*****Our text:

Rev 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

Rev 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

The Apostle John claims he is an eyewitness to all these things he "saw" in all these visions and in Heaven and also that he heard from the angels and the fellow servants and from the Lord Jesus Himself. I believe John saw everything he said he did. God 's word is true. It is man's word that I cannot believe.

The Bible says:

Rom 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Let's not miss this important hint of what the saint of God will look like in Heaven. This the second time John was so excited that he bowed to this messenger of God. This verse tells us that this was not an angel but actually a fellow servant, even a prophet. You see John had seen God, He had seen the Lord. This messenger must have been also something marvelous to look upon but we can also see everyone in Heaven knows it is only God that will be worshipped.

John wrote:

1Jn 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Does what John wrote make more sense now?

That glorified body we will have will also be marvelous to look upon. There will be no jealousy because we will all have one. Praise God for what is coming to those who love Him.

*****Our text:

Rev 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

In the book of Daniel when He had some similar visions he was told to seal them up:

Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

America is only two hundred and thirty years old. When this nation began we could only travel at the speed of a horse. For a short distance that could be about thirty miles an hour. Not only in America but the world was in the same shape. The world had been that way for about six thousand years. It does not take a genius to see how far the world has developed in a short period of time. It is easy to see that "knowledge has been increased" to an amazing extent.

The Apostle John was placed on the Isle of Patmos to die. The ruling government of the world was tired of hearing about Jesus Christ and salvation and everlasting life and a coming King to rule this world. Kind of sounds like our day doesn't it. God had different plans, John wrote all this down to be given to the Church and John also was to preach the word again. John was a very old man but despite what the government had done God reversed it and the word of God flowed off that Isle of Patmos and no one and no government can stop God's word until He says so, though they may try.

It is God that sits on the throne in Heaven and this is still His world!

Notice when Jesus Comes there will be no massive exodus from the evil world of sin to Him. He will not allow that.

The Bible says:

1.) The unjust will stay unjust.

2.) The filthy will stay filthy.

3.) The righteous will stay righteous.

4.) The holy will stay holy.

Everyone will stay just as they are!

In fact the Bible says:

2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

There will be no last minute Christians at that time, at least none of those that have felt the tug of the Holy Spirit and refused Him.

You can get a reward at the Bema seat at the rapture [or] the reward for the wages for your sin. This is a choice we all have to make.

The wages of sin is death and eternal damnation, separated from God forever!

The best reward at the Bema seat is eternal life in New Jerusalem with our Lord!

Only Jesus Christ fits the description of verse 13.

He was before the foundations of the Old Earth and will never cease being God. It is He that laid the foundations of our world!

Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

Heb 1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

Heb 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

You see He laid the foundation of the Church also at the same time:

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

****Our text:

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Who are blessed?

Those that obey the word of God.

They will meet Jesus Christ the tree of life.

They will enter into New Jerusalem through the Church.

Remember that gate is a pearl, a single pearl.

Remember this little parable?

Mat 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

Mat 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

The Church represents that Pearl.

Who cannot enter?

1.) Dogs: They are the assembly of the wicked.

Psa 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: [the assembly of the wicked] have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

2.) Sorcerers: Those that have fallen to the drug effect of sin and false religion.

Act 8:9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and [bewitched the people] of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

3.) Whoremongers: Those that have rejected the true living God after once saying they knew Him. "The Laodicean Church".

Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 4.) Murderers:

5.) Idolaters: Those that placed the things of this world above of the Living God.

Mar 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

Mar 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

6.) Whosoever loves a lie: The followers of Satan.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

*****Our text:

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Who is the author of the Book of Revelation?

We know Him as The Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Who is He speaking to?

The Church.

He will fulfill all prophesy and therefore the King of the Jew?

He is the "root and offspring of David!

Is He the Sun of Righteousness?

He is the bright and Morning Star:

The Bible said in the book of Genesis:

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

In the Book of Numbers:

Num 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

In Matthew:

Mat 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

In Luke:

Luk 1:78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

Luk 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

In Peter:

2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

In Malachi:

Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Our text:

Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

The Holy Spirit though He brings about Salvation to all that commit themselves to the Lord, still has never left the Bride. That tells us His "Omnipresence". Only God can be everywhere all the time. The Spirit is still saying to all that read this book and to all that hear this word to come. COME

God told Moses to "Come" into the ark just before He sent the flood that destroyed mankind years ago:

Gen 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

God is telling "whosoever" will to come into the Church, the Ark of the New Testament to come into the Bride of Christ, the Church of the Living God before He brings destruction this world. This will be a total destruction!

AND IT DOES NOT COST A THING IT IS FREE!

SALVATION IS THE FREE GIFT OF GOD BUT ONLY IN THIS TIME OF THE CHURCH AGE!

Many will be save during the tribulation period but they will have to give up their lives as martyrs to get there. It will be a terrible time. Israel will not be saved until the very last day of the Great Tribulation.

So, Why not just believe what God has to say?

*****Our text:

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Rev 22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

This is God's final warning.

This the Book that the Lord Wrote. God's word is not to be added to or taken away from. There is no need to expand on what God says here.

1.) Those that would add works to the Free Gift of God will go through the tribulation period plagues.

2.) Those that take away the Blood and the Virgin Birth and say that that there are other ways to Heaven will not be named in the Lamb's Book Of Life.

God is serious about this time of Grace. Remember this Book was written to the Church, The Bride of Christ. It is the Church will be judged first.

Yes, Come Lord Jesus Come!

Let's pray!