Thursday: The Resurrection of Us All
With the added light of the New Testament, the exclusion of Moses from the Promised Land doesn’t seem like much of a punishment, after all. Instead of an earthly Canaan and later an earthly Jerusalem (which for all its known history has been a place of war, conquest, and suffering), “the heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrews 12:22) is, even now, his home. A much better abode, for sure!
Moses was the first known example in the Bible of the resurrection of the dead. Enoch was brought to heaven without having seen death (Genesis 5:24), and Elijah, too (2 Kings 2:11), but as far as the written record goes, Moses was the first one to have been resurrected to eternal life.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
How long Moses slept in the ground we don’t know, but as far as he was concerned, it didn’t matter. He closed his eyes in death, and whether it was three hours or 300 years, for him it was the same. It is also the same for all the dead throughout history; their experience, at least as far as being dead goes, will be no different than Moses’. We close our eyes in death, and the next thing we know is either the Second Coming of Jesus or, unfortunately, the final judgment (see Revelation 20:7-15).
Read 1 Corinthians 15:13-22. What great promise is found here, and why do Paul’s words make sense only if we understand that the dead sleep in Christ until the resurrection?
Without the hope of the resurrection, we have no hope at all. Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of ours; having “purged our sins” (Hebrews 1:3) on the cross as our sacrificial Lamb, Christ died and rose from the dead, and because of His resurrection we have the surety of ours, with Moses being the first example of a fallen human being raised from the dead. Because of what Christ would do, Moses had been raised; and because of what Christ has done, we, too, will be raised, as well.
Thus, we can find in Moses an example of salvation by faith, a faith made manifest in a life of faithfulness and trust in God, even if he faltered at the end. And all through the book of Deuteronomy, we can see Moses seeking to call God’s people to a similar faithfulness, a similar response to the grace given to them as it has been given to us — we, too, who are on the borders of the Promised Land.
| Is not God, this same God, calling us to faithfulness, as well? What can we do to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes Moses forewarned about in Deuteronomy? |
(19)
I am always cautious when you come to the end of the story and get told, that this is the prize or reward, if you are faithful or behave yourself, (substitute your favourite phrase here). I know we have the hope of the resurrection and that is a very precious thought to me. At the moment, I have a couple of relatives and long-time colleagues who I know are not going to live much longer. The thought of their passing fills me with great sadness,and I look forward to the resurrection day and enjoying their company again. But, the notion that all this will be mine if I keep the faith, serve him faithfully, trust and obey, etc is an idea that does not sit well with me.
Moses led the Israelites, not to get the reward of the resurrection, but because they needed a leader. It is probably fair to say that he did not even know about the resurrection. He was focused on the needs of those that surrounded him. He wasn't the perfect leader, but he was persistent. He shared the "Gospel" in ministering to those around him.
I like to think of the resurrection this way:
This is about the present. And, if we are alive in Christ now, we have a shareable message for our friends who do not belive.
Are you finding things hard going at present? There is something deep within us that longs for "and they lived happily ever after". But with what the world is continuing to go through on many fronts over the past two years and presently, quite a few people are very fatigued and struggling to retain hold of hope in the present or for the future. This is so very far from what the human race was lovingly designed and created to instead experience that it is no wonder it takes such a toll upon us. Similarly, it is also no wonder that creation 'groans' with increasing intensity to be released from what seems like an ongoing eternity of pain, suffering and chaos (Romans 7:22).
Yet God has promised that all who genuinely desire to live a life that is focussed on benefit others rather than self-seeking will truly live happily ever after* - and in a resurrected and re-newed (ie restored back to new again - yes, God is into recycling) world where there is nothing but harmony and peace. No more pain, no more disappointment, no more hurt - ever!
It is so easy to get absorbed in the fear that is very much being promoted across the world at present. Knowing this, God offers us promises that He is right with us to lead, guide and resource us with what we need to get through as we reach out to help others we come across today (Matthew 6:32-34; Proverbs 3:5,6).
No matter where you are or what you are facing, know that you are not alone. God is right there with you and you are being upheld in prayer by other believers who are praying for you - even though they don't personally know you by name or the specific details of your experience.
Instead of the steady diet of fear that mainstream media is serving up to you today, I offer the following condensed selection from Romans 8:28-39 as an alternative focus and hope-sustaining encouragement for you personally:
Hold on in hope, knowing God is on your side and with you right now even if you don't feel like that is the case (Psalm 42:5).
________________
* In case you are fearing that perhaps you might not make it into God's Kingdom, read Genesis 6:5 for a description of those who won't. Just like the only ones outside the ark were those who didn't want to be in the ark, so too the only ones who miss out on being part of the Kingdom of God are those who don't actually want to be there. As Ellen White has well described, "The destiny of the wicked is fixed by their own choice. Their exclusion from Heaven is voluntary with themselves..."
Phil, thank you for this encouraging message! God bless!
I would say that the necessity of obeying God, by toeing the mark sets well with me, because I have been in this so long that I know I am saved by the blood of the Lamb only. Now that fact turns my heart to flesh(love) therefore love compels me to do His will. It is a necessity to obey my Heavenly Father, ask for forgiveness, repent, ask Him to shatter my doubt, and give me the strength to be His disciple. Today and tomorrow is a appropriate time to reconsecrate our lives to Him.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I’m somehow not comfortable with the idea that Moses was raised from the dead and has become the first person to be risen according to Thursday’s lesson. The Bible made it clear that Christ is instead in 1 cor 15:20.
Secondly the scripture never in anyway spoken about Moses as being raised from the dead except the account of Jude 9 regarding Christ encounter with satan concerning his body, and with every sense of reasoning, body in this context means dead body and not a living one.
Finally, the next place we read about Moses was at the mount of transfiguration where he appeared with Elijah which teaches us that there will be resurrection of the righteous at the second return of Christ…. So I don’t think it’s right to say that Moses was raised from the dead since we cannot see that anywhere in the scriptures.
The problem is we know Moses died and we know he appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus before Jesus died and rose. So he had to be raised from the dead, unless you believe he went to Heaven when he died, which is not Biblical.
For what it's worth, I find that the cultures of bible times had a different mindset or worldview compared to how we 'see' (perceive and conceptualise) things in modern western culture. This needs to be factored into biblical interpretation more-so at some times compared with others. Technical precision was not their key focus the way it is for us. Conveying the essential nature and character of something was more important. As but one example, the nature and character represented by a number was more important than the precise numerical quantity.
I find Barnes' Notes to give a very good window into what it is more likely that Paul was referring to in 1 Corinthians 15:20. Here is part of what Barnes' Notes say, you can read the rest further if you wish:
This fourth quarter’s lesson study has indeed been a blessing, by impressing upon my mind the depth of Creator’s love for each of His children. Thank you!
Praise God for reconciling us unto Himself, in 2021, through the integrity of His transformative word of encouragement!
What a great day that will be, when we reunite with our loving Saviour, through/to whom we have been faithful … never, never to part again!
"So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." Hebrews 9:28
How I long for that day!
Keep us ready, Lord. Amen.
Have a joyous Christmas leading to a Christ-centred new year!
Bro Phil. Thank you for your inspiring and instructive comments you put in your posts. In particular l was blessed by the posted 22/12/2021. I would like to send part of that message of encouragement to others. Whilst crediting it to you l would not identify you by name unless you would prefer me to. May GOD continue to bless you with His wisdom and insight as you endeavour to lead others to a closer understanding of who He is.
Hi Marcia
Thank you for your kind words and I join you in praising God for His blessing to us each and all. I am more than happy for you to pass on information to benefit as many others as possible - and thank you for asking. Although I appreciate that it is standard practice to credit authors, like you have said it is God who is the one who gives wisdom and insight so from my perspective feel free to share anything I write at any point that you find relevant and credit God. Hope that makes sense.
May God bless you also in your passion and willingness to assist others...