A Prophet Like Moses

Brethren, as we take a look around the world today, we turn on the news, we check out the headlines, and we see just what it is that's taking place, it's clear to us we're moving ever more close to the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God. I can say with full assurance that we are one day closer to the return of Christ than we were yesterday, and we will again be one day closer tomorrow. And for me, at least, as we consider these things, I know my focus often then goes to what the Bible has to say about the end of the age, the prophecies surrounding the time leading up to the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God. And sometimes the question can be asked, are these prophecies true? And how can we know? You know, where's the guarantee that these are true? And as I've covered before, there are proofs that the Bible itself is true, but for me, one of the proofs of doctrinal accuracy and integrity is to see what God has already prophesied and fulfilled. And when we look at prophecies, he's declared because he is the God who declares the end from the beginning, and he is the God with the power and the will to bring the past that which he has declared. We can see it's recorded, it's taken place, and indeed it's true. And that should give us confidence to look at what yet lies ahead in the prophecies that the Bible gives us pertaining to those things. So for me, from time to time, I like to simply go back and look at a prophecy that was given in the Bible and see how it was fulfilled, and not just casually fulfilled, but fulfilled specifically, and to see that God's intent was indeed to bring to pass what he had declared, and to lay that as a backdrop. Again, that gives me confidence to move forward in faith that God will fulfill in the future, that which he has already declared. And so today what I like to do for the message is to spend time looking at one such biblical prophecy and its fulfillment, and in doing so, it's my hope that we can not only see, again, the detailed manner in which God fulfills his promises, but we can also gain even more confidence of what will yet take place in the future. And so the title for my message is A Prophet Like Moses. A prophet like Moses. We're going to go back and look at that specific prophecy and see the way that God brought it to fulfillment in a multifaceted way. Again, not just a casual fulfillment, but direct and, frankly, dramatic. You can find the reference to a prophet like Moses in the Bible in a number of different places. And, in fact, Moses himself prophesied that there would come on the scene down the line after him a prophet likened unto himself. And it's one of those core prophecies of the Old Testament that you can find dramatic anticipation of and fulfillment of in the New. So not only did that prophecy come to pass, as we're going to see today, the manner and the detail in which it came to pass is amazing. There are literally dozens of examples in Scripture that parallel Moses with the prophet like him who was to come. And we're going to take a look at a number of those parallels today.

Let's start off in Deuteronomy 18. This is very close to where Mr. Klein was. I was interested to hear his message and his references to Moses and the children of Israel. I want to start in Deuteronomy chapter 18 and look at the prophecy itself. That's the emphasis behind the fulfillment that God provided. Deuteronomy chapter 18, the context, here is God's instructions for Israel when they enter the Promised Land and who they were to heed, who they were to listen to, the fact that they weren't to lend ear to the diviners or the soothsayers or the false prophets of other gods in the land around them. They were to listen only to the prophets of the true God. In Deuteronomy chapter 18 and verse 15, Moses says, "...the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren." He says, "...him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb, on the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die." We call the children of Israel approach Mount Sinai and there was a cloud, there was lightning, the thundering, and then the voice of God thundered and the people said, Don't let God speak to us anymore, lest we die. Verse 17, "...and the Lord said to me," said to Moses, "...what they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you, Moses, from among their brethren. I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak them to all that I command him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear my words, which he speaks, in my name I will require it of him." And so right away we see a number of qualities about this prophet to come described here in these verses. In the very specific, this would be a prophet likened unto Moses. That's the overarching emphasis here. A prophet likened unto Moses. He would be from among his brethren. He would be born out of the line of descendants of the people of Israel. This prophet would speak the words of God and it would be required, furthermore, of the people to listen to him. In fact, life or death were dependent on listening to that prophet.

So who is this describing, ultimately? We probably assume could all answer the question. The prophet to come likened unto Moses is Jesus Christ. And he was the prophet who we can see clearly fulfilling in 2020 hindsight what it is that God had laid out in advance. And we'll walk through some of that as we go. But from our perspective, we have 2020 hindsight, right, into the first coming of Jesus Christ and so many things that took place. And for us, it's clear. But those living in that day who saw Jesus as he came on the scene and walked about and taught, for some it wasn't quite so clear. You know, there was even a time when John the Baptist was in prison. This was the cousin of Jesus Christ. He had baptized him and he prepared the way of the Lord. And yet he's in prison under, you know, the threat of death. And there was a time where John sent his disciples to Jesus and said, are you the one that we're seeking or do we look for another?

Because maybe from John's perspective, he didn't quite think this was how it was supposed to play out. So are you the one or do we look for another? It wasn't always clear to everyone.

Now, there was an understanding that had to be revealed to the people through a process, through the revelation that God would offer. And they also, as Jesus walked and talked, listened to him. And they observed him and they saw the miracles and they heard the parables and some had understanding. And some concluded that he must be that promised prophet. If we go to John chapter 6 and verse 14, we'll see the realization as it begins to settle in on some. Just who this is. This may be indeed the fulfillment that God had promised thousands of years earlier. John chapter 6 and verse 14. Context here is Jesus feeds the 5,000. So you just have a few loaves, a few fish, and he feeds a multitude. And then they gather back up 12 baskets, which was likely more obviously than even they started with. An incredible miracle. John chapter 6 and verse 14, it says, then these men, when they had seen the signs that Jesus did, said, this is truly the prophet who was the come into the world. So through Jesus' words, through his miracles, those who were willing to see it began to realize just who it was they were dealing with. And it's interesting, as you go through, there's multiple occasions in the gospel of counts where Jesus would perform something. He would heal somebody. He would give some words that people would say, this must be that prophet. And in fact, it became known that people were watching for not just any prophet, but the prophet, that prophet who was the come. It was a very specific identification. John chapter 7 and verse 37, John chapter 7 and verse 37, another example, says, on that last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. And he who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this he spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in him would receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Verse 40, therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this, saying, said, truly this is the prophet. Truly this is the prophet. Again, this was the response to hearing the words of Jesus Christ. Because you see, the people were anxious. In the day that he came on the scene, they were anxious. They were under the boot of Roman oppression, and they were looking for a prophet like Moses, one who would, you know, lead them out, deliver them, throw off the oppression of the Romans, get that boot off their neck, and give them liberty, just as Moses had done to the people of God long before. Now, following Jesus' resurrection, Peter declared plainly that Christ was indeed that prophet foretold by Moses. Acts chapter 3 and verse 19. Acts chapter 3 verse 19. This is the day of Pentecost. And Peter's sermon on repentance.

In Acts 3 verse 19, Peter says, repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send Jesus Christ to his preach to you before. It says, whom heaven must receive until the times of the restorations of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren, him you shall hear in all things, whatever he says to you. So Peter says, remember that prophecy that we have declared? It's in the writings. He took that and he brought it forward and he planted it right here and he says, this is the fulfillment of it today and now, here in our sight, in our hearing. The commandment is now hear him. Verse 23, and it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among his people. Yes, in all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. And you are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Get a prophecy of the Messiah. To you first, God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities. And so we have Peter here confirming that this prophet to come was, in fact, Jesus Christ, and that in his day he was the fulfillment of that. And frankly, the fulfillment goes on even today. Jesus Christ is not in the grave. He lives. He's at the right hand of the Father in power. So let's take a moment to define then, brethren, what a true prophet is in the Bible, because God's people Israel weren't to heed the words of the soothsayers or the diviners of the land and the false prophets, only true prophets of God. But how would you identify them? The word prophet in the Greek is the word prophetes, and it can mean one who speaks forth, or it can mean one who speaks forth under the inspiration of God. So a prophet is one who foretells, okay, he can be one who foretells the future, gives a prophecy under the inspiration of God. Here's what will come to pass in the latter days, for example, okay, one who foretells. But a prophet is also one who tells forth under the inspiration of God, and that can be a bit different than that as well. You see, we often think of a prophet as someone who just tells the future, but that's only part of what a prophet does. In the Bible, the prophet had the task of faithfully speaking the words of God to the people. You know, the words he received were the words that he conveyed, and they often had both a teaching role and a revelatory role.

Oftentimes, prophets did preach about something yet to happen in the future, but they also taught about the present, the current circumstance, and the truth of God's commands. Prophets addressed contemporary issues among God's people, like sin and idolatry, social injustice. Think of the prophet Jeremiah crying out before the captivity of Judah, saying, turn from idolatry, repent, return to God. And yet, people disobeyed and would not heed his warning. Oftentimes, prophets pronounce God's judgment against the people, and yet they also offered the hope that God would have them to retain upon repentance. Okay, here is the judgment for not turning away, but when you are in exile and you cry out to God, he will hear and he will deliver you and restore you again upon repentance. And, of course, a true prophet always pointed the people to God.

And so we find these qualities which are clearly demonstrated in the history of Moses, clearly demonstrated in the record we have of Jesus Christ as well. And the definition applies to the prophet that was and the prophet to come. So I want to spend the rest of our time today actually looking at parallels, because there are literally dozens of parallels you could consider between Moses and Jesus Christ, the prophet to come, that bring us into understanding beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Jesus did in fact fulfill this prophecy, and that we can see the clear connection between these two great prophets. So I'm going to begin now in Exodus chapter 1 as we start to look at parallels. To me, this is a fascinating study to go through, and I hope you find it equally as interesting. Exodus chapter 1, we'll see Moses and Jesus Christ were both born into a world under very similar circumstances. Exodus chapter 1 and verse 8 said, Now there arose a new king over Egypt, did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply. And it happened in the event of war that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land. Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens, and they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pythium and Ramses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew, and they were in dread of the children of Israel. Verse 13 said, The Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor, and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage and mortar and brick, and in all manner of service in the field. And all their service in which they made them serve was with rigor. And so right off the bat we find our first parallel. Our first parallel, and that is Jesus Christ and Moses, both, were born at a time when their people were under the rule of gentile oppressors. Both Moses and Jesus Christ were born at a time when their people were under the rule of gentile oppressors. The people of God and Moses' day were under the oppression of Egypt, under great slavery and bondage, while the people of God and Jesus' day were under the domination and the oppression of Rome, and the Roman Empire that overshadowed the Jews and the people of that region. And in both settings, the people of God were anxiously waiting for a deliverer.

Carrying on to verse 15, it says, Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives of whom the name was Sheprah and the name of the other Pua. And he said to them, When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women and see them on the birth stools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him. But if it is a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God. It did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. They had mercy on the children, and God respected that. And jumping down to verse 21, and so it was because the midwives feared God that he provided households for them, families of their own. In verse 22, So Moses commanded all his people, saying, Every son who is born to you, every son who is born, you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive. And so this brings up, then, for us a second parallel between Moses and Jesus Christ. And that is, edicts for their death were issued by gentile rulers at the time of their birth. Both Moses and Jesus Christ. Edicts for their death were issued by gentile rulers at the time of their birth. Again, at the birth of Moses, Pharaoh commanded all the newborn Hebrew boys to be drowned in the river, a very horrific event. And at the time of Jesus Christ's birth, we find similar events taking place as well. Let's go to Matthew chapter 2, in verse 1. Matthew chapter 2, in verse 1.

You know, there's actually some historical evidence that would indicate the Egyptian diviners and prophets had foreknowledge or had declared that there would be a deliverer that would come on the scene in Egypt. And that is possibly another reason why the death of those children took place. They were watching, and they wanted to prevent perhaps any deliverer from arising on the scene. Prior to the coming of Jesus Christ, who were they waiting for? A deliverer and a prophesied king to come. Matthew chapter 2, in verse 1, says, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who was born, king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him. And when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. So now there's this word that goes out, the king has been born, the messiah that's been waited for. And as it goes on, Herod implores the wise men to please, you know, when you find him, report back to me. I'd like to know where this king is as well. And of course, maybe he presented a righteous front, but underneath his motives were not pure. The wise men did not do so, just as the midwives did not obey Pharaoh in the exposing of the babies to be killed in Egypt. If we drop down to verse 13, it says, Now when they, the wise men, had departed, behold an angel the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. And when he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed for Egypt. And he was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt I called my son. Verse 16, Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem, in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. So just like Pharaoh, Herod, too, initiated a slaughter. These young babies, these male boys, two and under, I can't even imagine. You know, we turn on the television, and we see mass shootings in our country, things that have taken place, and things that are hard to process. How would you process an entire regional district, whereby government authority, the ruler, sent out to have put to death all the male babies to and under? He's attempting to wipe out the prophesied king, right, the threat to maybe ultimately his power and his reign. So in this case, both of them were spared, both Moses and Jesus Christ, and yet many others suffered in the wrath that came. Verse 17, it says, Now it was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah, the prophet, saying, The voice was heard in Rhema, Lamentation and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.

It's a very, again, sad and in a horrific circumstance, and frankly, satanic.

Satan was behind the influence upon both Pharaoh and Herod. Pharaoh sought to destroy by Satan the deliverer who would bring God's people out of bondage, and Satan sought to destroy through Herod the deliverer who would bring the world out of bondage to slavery and death.

Another parallel between Moses and Jesus Christ, we read here Matthew 2, back up in verse 16.

Actually, verse 13 through 16, here God commanded Joseph to take Mary, take Jesus, and flee to Egypt, where they remained until Herod's death. And so the parallel there is that both Moses and Jesus Christ remained in exile in a foreign land, and to the rulers who sought their lives were dead.

Christ was taken to Egypt to live until Herod was dead. And you'll recall as well, at the killing of the Egyptian who was beating an Israelite, Moses fled Egypt, and he remained in Midian until after Pharaoh's death. If you'd like a reference scripture for that, it's Exodus chapter 4 and verse 19.

Exodus 4 verse 19, now the Lord said to Moses and Midian, Go return to Egypt, for all the men who sought your life are dead. And so they both, Moses and Jesus Christ, remained exiled in a foreign land until the rulers who sought their lives were dead.

So even prior to their direct service, Moses as a baby and even adulthood before he now came to deliver God's people, and Jesus Christ even as a baby before he came of age and then became unto his ministry, they had many, many parallels even from birth that we can examine, that we consider when we look at the parallels between Moses and the prophet like him. Again, Moses was a type. He was a forerunner of Jesus Christ, but Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment that the type pointed to in each of these realities. Another parallel for us to consider. Both Moses and Jesus Christ were appointed to deliver God's people from slavery. Okay, we've touched on that already, but it's a clear, clear parallel. Both Moses and Jesus Christ were appointed to deliver God's people from slavery, and they did. Acts chapter 7 in verse 33.

Acts chapter 7 in verse 33. Here it says, then the Lord said to him, speaking to Moses, "'Take your sandals off your feet for the place where you stand is holy ground.' He says, "'I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them, and now come, I will send you to Egypt.' This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge, is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer, by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush." So God called Moses to be the deliverer of his people, Israel, out of Egypt. And, of course, God was the ultimate deliverer, okay, was by his power and his authority, but Moses was the human instrument by which that delivery would take place. But again, he was called to be a deliverer of the people of God from bondage. We find a parallel pertaining to Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 1. Matthew chapter 1 and verse 18. Matthew 1 verse 18 says, Jesus Christ was that prophet that was raised up to save his people, to deliver his people from their sins. If they would accept him, if they would come under repentance and acknowledge his sins, and sacrifice, he would indeed be their deliverer. And frankly, brethren, the same is true for us today.

Many places in the Bible, sin is likened to slavery and is likened to bondage, but indeed, all of mankind has the opportunity to be set free by this deliverer. Romans chapter 6 verse 16.

The Apostle Paul writing says, says, Verse 17 says, But God be thanked, that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And that form of doctrine would include the word of God, the laws of God, but also the doctrine and indeed the gospel that Jesus Christ came as Messiah, that upon his death and repentance we can be delivered from sin. That's the doctrine which was delivered that brought people out of bondage. And so that makes him our deliverer as well.

And just as Moses was appointed to deliver Israel from Egypt, Jesus Christ was appointed to rescue us out of our sin and death through his sacrifice. And it's a very clear parallel of a likeness of one unto the other. Another parallel between Moses and Jesus Christ, they both stood as mediators between God and his people. They both stood as mediators between God and his people.

Let's notice Moses' role as mediator. Deuteronomy chapter 5. Deuteronomy 5. This is a time where Israel had come up to Mount Sinai to receive God's law, to enter into a covenant with him. It's being recounted now in this passage. Deuteronomy chapter 5 and begin in verse 1. Deuteronomy 5 verse 1, Moses called to all Israel, and he said to them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them.

Says the Lord your God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire, and I stood, notice, between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord, for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up to the mountain.

So we notice that Moses, it says, stood between the Lord and the people. He stood as mediator. That was his role. Mediator between God and the people because the people were afraid. And that's why we refer to Moses as the mediator of the covenant. Recall when he brought down and declared to the people of Israel the principles of the covenant, they said, all the Lord has declared we will do.

And Moses sprinkled them with the blood of the covenant. He was the mediator that stood between God and man, declared these words of God. Verse 23, it says, Verse 26, They say, now you, speaking to Moses, you, Moses, go near and hear all that the Lord our God may say, and tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear it and do it. And so the people didn't want to hear God's voice again. And they were afraid they would die.

The power, the thunderings, the lightnings, the voice of God thundering forth. They said, Moses, you talk to God. You receive his words, and then you talk to us. And that'll be good enough. Verse 28 says, Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me, and always keep my commandments, that it might be well with them and their children forever.

Go, he says to Moses, go and say to them, return to your tents. But as for you, Moses, stand here by me, and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I'm giving you to possess. So again, God declared, okay, Moses, this is good. Send the people back to their tents. You approach before me. You receive from me the word.

You declare it to the people, and you will stand as mediator between God and the people of Israel. Let's notice the same role that Jesus Christ played as the mediator between God and man. Let's notice that he too received the word from God, and the words he spoke to the people were not his own words. They were the words he received from his father. John 12, verse 46. The words of Jesus Christ, he says, But the Father who sent me gave me a command that I should speak and speak, and I know that his commandment is everlasting life.

Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told me, so I speak. Jesus Christ spoke to the people, the words that his Father gave him to speak, and that's the function of the mediator. That's the function of the mediator to deliver the message. In the past, Darla and I at one point were involved in a legal process. It was called a mediation. We were in one room, and the other party was in another room, and there was a mediator. The mediator went between and essentially took the message of one party to the other. You did not see the other party face to face.

There was the mediator that conveyed the words. Jesus Christ stood as the mediator between God and his people. John 14, verse 24 says, Again, confirmation that what Jesus is speaking are his Father's words. In 1 Timothy 2 and verse 5, the apostle Paul confirms that he fulfills, indeed, this role, and he uses the term as a mediator. 1 Timothy 2 and verse 5. 1 Timothy 2 and verse 5 says, Hebrews 9, verse 13 further states, So just as Moses stood between God and the people, and sprinkled the people with the blood of the covenant, Jesus Christ stood, in that sense, in the role of mediator between God and the people, and it is his own blood that has been poured out for our salvation.

As mediator, they both served in a covenantial capacity. Jesus Christ, the prophet to come like Moses. Another parallel between these two great prophets, both Moses and Jesus were humble in their service to God and man. Both Moses and Jesus were humble in their service to God and man. In the role that both of them were given, there was no room for pride, no room for self, no room for saying, you know, I'm the one, actually, who brought this deliverance unto you, because you see, it was God's power at work, not their own, God through them.

And so there had to be a humility, a humbling that was in place. It would ultimately point the people back to God. Numbers chapter 12, let's consider Moses.

Numbers chapter 12, in verse 1, It says, Now this man Moses was very humble more than all men who were on the face of the earth. Okay, obviously this is an inset verse. It was written in, it was spoken afterwards, because Moses is an author of this, but Moses didn't say, you know, I am the most humble man to walk the face of the earth. It kind of defeated the purpose, I would say. But again, he was acknowledged and recognized as the most humble man. And yet, it didn't necessarily start out that way. Because we know the story of where Moses came from. Moses was reared in the house of Pharaoh. And at one point, as the Bible says, he was mighty in words and deeds. Additionally, Josephus indicates that Moses was a general in Egypt. And historically, that appears to be true, and as such, he was a great military general. He was a commander, he was a conqueror, he was a ruler over nations and other kings. And as such, he was accustomed to ruling over others. But what does the Bible show us? Of where he came from, Pharaoh's house, and where he went? Indeed, Moses went through a process of a 40-year humbling in order to prepare him for the service that God would have him conduct. Because, again, if we go back to the story, Moses fled Egypt. He killed the one who was brutalizing an Israelite. He feared for his life, he fled and spent 40 years tending his father-in-law's sheep. There's something about talking to sheep for 40 years that has a humbling effect on a man, I would say. To go from a great military commander and the Prince of Egypt to the fields of Midian, tending the flocks. Moses was a humble man. He was a man of great reputation who went from the house of Pharaoh to being a man of no reputation. And what does the Bible tell us about Jesus Christ? Where he started and where he went. Philippians 2, verse 5.

God did not consider it robbery to be equal to God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. The one who was of the greatest of reputations. God with God from eternity humbled himself, came in the likeness of physical man, born in the flesh, had to have his diaper changed like every other human baby born into existence. He humbled himself in order to serve the service that God intended for him as our deliverer. Again, it sounds very much like Moses' experience. To go from the palace of Pharaoh to tending sheep, a wilderness shepherd, to then walk back into the presence of Pharaoh was nobody. Who do you think you are? And yet Jesus Christ himself, again, humbled as well in a similar type manner. Another parallel between these two great prophets that's notable. Those who they delivered were baptized into them. Now, I don't know if I can fully explain this one to you, but it was interesting to consider. Those who they delivered were baptized into them, both Moses and Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 10. Recounting of Israel's story. It says, Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud all passed through the sea. Notice all were baptized into Moses or unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed or accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. So when Israel passed through the midst of the Red Sea, you just kind of tried to visualize the setting. The waters were parted, and so you had a wall of water on the left, the wall of water on the right, and you had a cloud of water vapor overhead, right? The cloud that covered them and went before them, and it was literally a type of full immersion baptism. And as it says, they were baptized unto Moses. And I guess maybe the best I could explain that was the fact that God had appointed Moses as their leader. Moses was the mediator of the covenant, and through that baptism, which was a type. Remember, this is a forerunner of the greater fulfillment in Jesus Christ, but in that type, they were baptized unto Moses, who was of God. And they followed his lead, and they received from his hand the law. And again, this was a type of a greater baptism yet to come. Let's notice parallel in Jesus Christ, Acts 2, verse 38.

Day of Pentecost, Acts 2, verse 38, Peter said to them, Let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and your children, and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call. So again, Moses was a type. Moses was a forerunner who pointed to Jesus, who was the ultimate spiritual fulfillment of these things. You and I, when we come out of spiritual Egypt, repent of our sins. We go under the water of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. And then when we come up from there, again, there was the type. Israel went to the mountain. They received from God the law written on tablets of stone, but we've received the law of God written on our heart by the Spirit, coming from the laying on of hands. But again, this is the baptism, then, of Jesus. Moses was indeed a great prophet, but what he fulfilled in God's service was not the end of the story. It was the beginning, and it pointed directly to the one who would come to fulfill the ultimate sense of what God intended Moses show in type. And so, brethren, there are literally dozens of parallels, again, that can be pointed out between these two individuals. Some are major in scope, and some are minor. And unfortunately, we don't have time to go through all of them in detail today. I do have a handout that I've prepared, and I'd like to ask if the ushers can go ahead and pass that out at this time. Because I want to just briefly just hit, like, bullet points a number of other parallels, and we're not going to necessarily dive into them in detail. But I just want you to consider this, to consider the magnitude in which God has fulfilled this prophecy, which he declared, again, long, long before. The handout, for those on the webcast, if you want to send me an email, paulunderscoremooty at ucg.org, I can send you one, and I think I'll, perhaps Mr. Klein will be able to post one to the archive when the sermon is posted. But again, this handout has each of these points, so you don't need to try to write them all down. There's also accompanying scriptures, and you can go exploring and find multiple other scriptures on each of these parallels as well.

So, here's a few more parallels between Moses and the prophet like him to come. Both were given the authority to judge. Both were given the authority to judge. Moses functioned as judge in Israel, and likewise, all judgment is committed to Jesus Christ, who will judge all in the age to come. Both are shepherds. Both Moses and Jesus Christ are shepherds. Moses tended his father-in-law, Jethro's, flocks. Jesus Christ said, I am the good shepherd, and he is indeed the shepherd of the sheep. Moses struck the rock in the desert, and the waters flowed out. Jesus Christ is the spiritual rock from whom the rivers of living water flow out. Recall, the Holy Spirit is of God through Jesus Christ. You can find that in Acts 2. And in John 7, 37, Jesus said, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. In another parallel, Moses set up a bronze serpent on a pole in the wilderness, so the people who looked upon it would be healed and live. Recall, they rebelled against God, they complained, and God sent fiery serpents into the camp, and they bit the people, and the people were dying left and right. And he had Moses fashion this bronze serpent on a pole, and it was lifted up. When people looked at the serpent on the pole, they lived. Jesus Christ, as well, was lifted up on a pole so that all who truly acknowledge his sacrifice can be spiritually healed and receive eternal life. Because, you see, brethren, every one of us has the venom of the serpent running through our vein. We have been bitten by the sting of death, which is sin. And the fact is, apart from looking upon Jesus Christ and acknowledging him as our Savior, the one who became sin in our place, the wages of our sin is death. Again, it's the mercy that God has provided in the ultimate fulfillment. Another parallel, both Moses and Jesus had a face-to-face relationship with God unlike any other. There's a number of verses you can go explore for Moses that say, He spoke to God face-to-face as a man speaks to his friend, and he sees the form of the Lord. And Aaron and Miriam, if you want to look at the account, why were you afraid, or not afraid, rather, to speak against my servant Moses? He sees the form of the Lord. Jesus Christ, as well, came from the Father, said no one had seen the Father except you who came from the Father. Another parallel, Moses' early miracle was to turn water into blood. Jesus Christ's first public miracle was turning water into wine, which symbolizes blood.

Under Moses, ancient Israel was instructed in the ceremony of the Old Covenant Passover. And under Jesus Christ, the disciples were instructed in the ceremony of the New Covenant Passover. Do this in remembrance of me. Moses delivered the law to the people. Right here, he descended Mount Sinai with the two tablets of stone, the law of God, written to deliver to the people. Jesus Christ, as well, is a great lawgiver. And on the Sermon on the Mount, he declared not a retraction of the law, but an extension of the law, a deeper spiritual meaning to the law.

If you hate your brother in your heart, it is murder. Both Moses and Jesus Christ are acknowledged as lawgivers. Moses sent 12 spies to serve as witnesses of Canaan. Jesus chose 12 disciples to serve as witnesses of him. Moses appointed 70 elders. Remember, they sat and judged the people. 70 elders. Jesus Christ sent out 70 to preach the gospel. Moses fasted 40 days and 40 nights. Jesus Christ fasted 40 days and 40 nights. Moses' face shone after meeting with God on the mountain.

Jesus Christ's face shone like the sun on the mountain of his transfiguration. Both Moses and Jesus Christ were rejected by the majority of the people they came to serve. Remember? Israel went up to the brink of the Promised Land. They saw the giants. They saw the cities walled up to heaven, and they said, Let us kill them, our leaders, and select new ones that will take us back to Egypt. And in their hearts, they turned back to Egypt. Jesus came to his own, and his own did not receive him.

By and large. Both Moses and Jesus Christ had the wind and the waves obey them. Both Moses and Jesus Christ were given God's public acknowledgment with an audible voice that was heard by the crowd. God spoke audibly to Moses at the mountain, and the people heard and understood that Moses was the servant of God, who they should heed and must heed. And at Jesus' baptism, as well as the transfiguration, an audible voice declared, This is my beloved Son.

Brethren, there's many more parallels if you want to go research them, if you want to go study them out. I've just plugged one scripture, one for Moses, one for Jesus Christ, and to each of those points you can follow up and find multiple others as well. So I encourage you to do so, but in conclusion, let's go to Hebrews chapter 3, because here we have a comparison between Moses and Jesus Christ in one passage. And you do want to conclude here. Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 1. Hebrews 3.1 says, Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, that's you and I, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Jesus Christ, who was faithful to him, who appointed him, as Moses also was faithful in all his house.

For this one has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, and as much as he who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken of afterward, but Christ as a son over his own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope, firm to the end. So this tells us that Moses was faithful to God in God's house as a servant, and as a faithful servant, but that Jesus Christ is even greater than Moses because as God's son, he is in charge of the whole house, which is you and I.

We are the house of God, Jesus Christ, the head of the church. He is in charge of the house, the son over the house, which you and I are, if we remain faithful to the end. So I hope for us today, this study has been encouraging, it's been enlightening, helps us to see and understand that, you know, the God we serve is the God that declares the end from the beginning, but he doesn't only declare it, he has both the will and the power to fulfill that which he has declared.

And not in just a passing fulfillment, but in detail and in purpose. So I hope as we take time from time to time, this is, I think, the second sermon I've done on looking at given and fulfilled prophecy in this way, I hope that it gives us encouragement as we consider the age in which we live and the prophecies that point to what God will yet still do, to send his son and to establish his kingdom, and we can take confidence in the fact that, indeed, those things are true and faithful.