We know from all of Paul's teaching that the
righteousness which is of the law is no righteousness but
many are still trying to please God or obtain righteousness
by keeping the law. Moses did something to give us
understanding of what this does in a spiritual sense. We are
told in Hebrews that to return to the law after having
tasted the free gift of Jesus is to do something very
severe:
those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5. And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of
the world to come,
6. If they shall fall away [return to another path including
the works of the law], to renew them again unto repentance;
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God
afresh
Do you see it now? Can you think of what Moses did that
was the same as crucifying Jesus a second time after He was
already crucified once? It was when Moses struck the rock
which was Jesus, the second time and the water came forth
again but Moses had struck the rock when God instructed him
to SPEAK to the rock. It is the word of faith that we must
speak and not to strike the rock, Jesus a second time. If we
return to the law after having tasted the water of life of
Jesus we are doing what Moses did in type.
Romans 10:
5. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of
the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live
by them.
6. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on
this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into
heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7. Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring
up Christ again from the dead.)
8. But what saith it? The word is
nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and
in thy heart: that is, the word of faith,
which we preach;
9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation.
Moses was supposed to SPEAK to the rock, Jesus, the
second time after he had already struck it earlier and
believe that the waters would gush forth. We also are to
believe in our hearts and confess with our mouth that God
will save us according to His promises. But if we return
to the deeds of the law instead of relying on faith in
what God promised then we are striking the rock the second
time and this resulted in what? Anybody?
Remember what happened to Moses as a result of him
having done this? What was God's punishment for Moses?
It was that Moses would SEE the Promised Land with his
eyes but he would not enter it alive but would have to die
in the wilderness first in order to get in even though
Moses begged and pleaded with God to let him in alive.
This is why this is for us who are right at the time of
the rapture. It is us today who are either going to
believe God in our hearts and speak the word of faith and
be saved by it or else seek to keep the law again and
strike the rock the second time. As if we can help Jesus
make us righteous by ascending to heaven to help Christ
come down or descend into the deep to bring Christ up from
the dead. Since we can do no such thing but He had to do
it all Himself, we also can offer no help in keeping the
law either. This will matter when the rapture happens.
My beloved brothers and sisters, I so desire you to
understand this today because the Hebrews letter goes on
to say let us fear lest a promise of God being left us of
entering in lest any of you should "come short of it" but
the literal is "Lest any of you should wait one day too
late" as they did. God has promised us the rapture just as
He promised them the Promised Land. Moses became an
example of modern Christians right at the brink of the
rapture, where we are today, who should have, could have,
would have entered in alive, but who struck the rock the
second time rather than SPEAK the word of faith from their
heart.
Moses and that generation died in the wilderness though
Moses saw the Promised Land with his eyes he could not
enter it alive. This is to illustrate to us today that
those who commit this offense of trying to keep the law
will not be able to enter into the rapture but will have
to die in this wilderness world first to get in even
though they will weep and beg God to be taken in alive He
will have to say no.
I think some verses you
might find interesting to add to this understanding,
verses that came to my mind while I read this, is John
3: 3-6. Here you have Christ referencing those
that will see the kingdom of heaven vs. those that will
enter into the kingdom of heaven. While you
associate the rapture with Moses seeing the promised
land, I think in John you have the exact wording
about seeing and entering and it should be considered
with the knowledge you have gleaned from the Lord.
Thank you for your post!!
Laurie