There are some very precious and sobering lessons for us to learn from the death of Moses, as it pertains directly to those of us who are living on the brink of eternity, and the lessons thus gleaned should be applied to our own personal experiences in the process of overcoming and living victoriously. The reason why the death of Moses should concern every Christian is because the prospect of us not ever dying is before our faces, and this sacred truth is stated in several passages of scripture, with the hope that we would give them due consideration. But before we investigate the death of Moses let us take a brief look at the mindset of a pilgrim, who is living in earnest expectancy of Christ’s imminent return.
Abraham was very rich in silver and gold and cattle, some of the means whereby the ancients measured wealth, yet his focus was never set on the mundane and material things of this earth. Whilst sojourning on this planet he was a faithful steward in the many blessings God bestowed upon him, but he never once lost sight of his eternal, and ultimate home, and for this reason he apparently made no serious provision for death as so many of us often do.
Now, while it is good to plan for the future, and the golden years when we may retire, yet we should avoid the current snare and obsession of laying up for ourselves much treasure upon the earth, for where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also. And so it is very important for us to observe the following passages of scripture, and contemplate soberly what is implied, for it has direct meaning for every Christian living in this generation, where the evening shadows of this earth’s history are drawing nigh. Let’s read:
Genesis 13:1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
13:2 And Abram [was] very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Genesis 23:1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: [these were] the years of the life of Sarah.
23:2 And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
23:3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
23:4 I [am] a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
23:5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
23:6 Hear us, my lord: thou [art] a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.
11:16 “Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
So let’s begin by establishing from the word of God, the fact that many thousands of human beings living in the last generation may never die, for like Abraham, we are just pilgrims passing through this earth, on a brief probationary period, and headed for a better world. Many of us have lost sight of the sacred truths we are about to study, and because of this we have now become obsessed with retirement savings accounts, 401k’s, and the like, as if the focus of our lives is to retire in ease and contentment. But the fact is that very many Christians will be alive when Jesus comes and they will be translated to heaven without ever passing through the portals of the tomb. Let’s read:
1st Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
4:17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1st Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Moses, like all of us was, born in sin and shapen in iniquity, and although the Bible gives us just a few highlights of his stay in Egypt, yet the sacred record says that he had problems and weaknesses just like any other human being, and he sinned many times in his life, and he also needed to be forgiven just like any other person. But the scriptures reveal that Moses had a nagging problem with his temper, a problem that surfaced from time to time when he was pushed to the edge by the murmuring and complaining of the Hebrews. Also when grievous and blatant sins were committed by them, he sometimes got angry, and did things which he would not otherwise have done under different circumstances. Let’s read:
Exodus 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.
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.
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?
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.
Exodus 32:17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, [There is] a noise of war in the camp.
32:18 And he said, [It is] not the voice of [them that] shout for mastery, neither [is it] the voice of [them that] cry for being overcome: [but] the noise of [them that] sing do I hear.
32:19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
This problem with anger, if not controlled in every volatile situation, is that it could cause Christians to say and do things that can do great harm to the cause of God, and cause the religion of Christ to be brought into disrepute. In all situations and under all circumstances the Christian must maintain his cool, for the devil will push us to the very limits of sanity if we let him. This is exactly what took place with Moses, when after many long years of dealing with the turbulent minds of the people under his care, he finally gave way, and in a burst of rage, publicly disobeyed what God had instructed him to do, in speaking to the rock to bring forth water for the clamoring multitudes. Let’s read:
Numbers 20:7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
20:8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
20:9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
20:11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also].
What follows next is of great importance to every Christian living in this generation, upon whom the end of the world is fast approaching, for it speaks volumes to the sins which easily beset us from time to time, which if not permanently overcome, will cause us to come under the domain of death, just like Moses. What is worthy of note is that none of the previous outbursts of anger which led Moses to sin, would have prevented him from withstanding the advance of death, for all his prior sins had been completely forgiven and washed away. But this one specific instance did him in, and for that reason he was laid to rest. Let’s read:
Numbers 20:12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
Deuteronomy 32:48 And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,
32:49 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, [unto] mount Nebo, which [is] in the land of Moab, that [is] over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:
32:50 And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:
32:51 Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.
It’s very important for us to know that Moses did not die of old age or of natural causes, for the Bible specifically states that his natural force was not abated, meaning that he was just as strong at 120 years as when he was much younger. Furthermore, the Bible tells us that Christ came down to resurrect Moses not long after his death, where He had an exchange of words with satan who was guarding Moses’ tomb. And therefore, there are two very important questions which need to be urgently answered as they pertain to the death of Moses: (1) Why was satan guarding his tomb? And (2) What caused his death? If these two questions are answered correctly, they will shed much light on whether many of us will pass under the domain of death, or whether we will never die. Let’s read line upon line with an understanding heart, and a teachable spirit:
Deuteronomy 34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. 34:6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
34:7 And Moses [was] an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
Isaiah 49:24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
49:25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered” ….
Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
14:17 [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners?
Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
17:4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
Some of us Christians, like Moses, have some nagging problems that surface from time to time in our experiences, yet we too have been completely forgiven, and our sins washed away by the blood of The Lamb. But as we draw closer to the throne of God, and are granted greater revelations of God’s perfect character, it becomes necessary that a corresponding growth in grace also take place, so that our faith and practice may be in sync. Like Moses too, we have the prospect of living eternally without ever dying, but we will need to live by the grace and power of God, victoriously each day, until the character of Christ is fully formed within us.
The 144,000 who will be translated from this earth without ever seeing death will have some mortal battles with sin and self to fight and overcome, and like it was with Moses, the devil is sure to turn up the heat several notches in order to cause us to slip. Not everyone has the same problem to battle with, for the 144,000 will be made up of those of us who have had various, serious weaknesses, yet were victorious through the grace and strength of The Living Christ.
For instance, some Christians who will comprise that number will like Moses, have had a problem with anger management, by which they had been tempted to say and do things that are contrary to the character of God, yet by earnest prayer and severe self-denial, will have gotten the victory over sin and self. Let’s read:
Revelation 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our
God in their foreheads.
Revelation 7:7 Of the tribe of Simeon [were] sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi [were] sealed twelve thousand” …..
Did we hear correctly when the Bible says that
some Christians who had characteristics similar to Simeon and Levi would be translated without seeing death? These two brothers were renowned for their anger and violence, in so much that Jacob, when uttering his final blessings to his sons, was moved to also include a curse upon their anger. Let’s read:
Genesis 49:5 Simeon and Levi [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations.
49:6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
49:7 Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
Genesis 34:2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
34:5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
34:7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard [it]: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.
34:25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
34:26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of
Shechem's house, and went out.
34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I [being] few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
Before we continue, let’s take a little detour to observe something deep in the Bible as it pertains to these two brothers who were prone to anger and violence. In the book of Revelation, twelve thousand of their spiritual descendents, or people with similar characteristics are said to have gotten the victory over their tempers, and therefore will be translated to heaven without seeing death. But this victory came the hard way, through severe internal conflicts and trusting wholly to the power of God and the merits of Christ. The Bible says that it must be studied line upon line, and for good reason. Let’s read:
Genesis 29:33 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I [was] hated, he hath therefore given me this [son] also: and she called his name Simeon.
29:34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.
Genesis 42:6 And Joseph [was] the governor over the land, [and] he [it was] that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him [with] their faces to the earth.
42:7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
42:8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
42:13 And they said, Thy servants [are] twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest [is] this day with our father, and one [is] not.
42:24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
Numbers 25:6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who [were] weeping [before] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
25:7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw [it], he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
25:8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
Question: How many sons did Jacob have?
Amswer: Twelve.
Question: How many of those brothers were noted for their anger management problems:
Answer: Two
Question: How many apostles did Christ choose for himself?
Answer: Twelve.
Question: Of the twelve apostle of Christ, were there two brothers who were noted for their fiery tempers, who had a problem with anger too?
Answer: Yes. They were James and John. Let’s read:
Mark 3:14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
3:15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
3:16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;
3:17 And James the [son] of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder.
Luke 9:49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.
9:50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid [him] not: for he that is not against us is for us.
9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
9:52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
9:53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw [this], they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]. And they went to another village.
Question: In Revelation chapter seven, how many Christians will be sealed and translated to heaven without seeing death?
Answer: 144,000.
Question: is that number divisible by twelve?
Answer: Yes.
Question: How many of that number would have had the same characteristics like those two re-occurring brothers?
Answer: Twelve thousand.
Last question: How is it that the number Twelve keeps on recurring throughout the history of God’s people, even down to our day when twelve thousand of each spiritual tribe will be sealed? Let’s read:
Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
But anger management is not the only problem that some Christians have, for others can control their tempers while others may have a problem with sexual sins and desires that are entirely contrary to God’s revealed will, yet many of them will overcome and live victoriously in the last days, and for that reason they too will be translated to heaven without seeing death. Satan does not as a general rule of thumb waste time tempting us on sins which do not faze us, for it’s usually one, or maybe two weaknesses that keep tripping us up. Let’s read:
Revelation 7:5 “Of the tribe of Reuben [were] sealed twelve thousand”.
Did we hear correctly when the Bible says that some people with characteristics such as Reuben, will never see death? Rueben was not perfect by any means, for he too had to do severe battle with internal and external sexual sins, lusts, and evil thoughts and desires which carried on a military campaign against his soul. Yet, through the grace and the power of Christ, overcame and lived victoriously on a continual basis. Let’s read:
Genesis 30:14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.
30:16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
Genesis 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days.
49:2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
49:3 Reuben, thou [art] my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my couch.
In our day, those who will be translated to heaven without seeing death will have very specific sins that they must overcome if they would not pass under the domain of death, hence the reason why the death of Moses should be studied closely, so that we too do not make similar mistakes. The habit of only confessing the sins we have committed is grossly insufficient for the days in which we live, for now is the time when we should be confessing and forsaking those sins which we did not actually do, but were harbored and pondered in the dark recesses of our minds. And it’s for this reason why the following scriptures are given, so that we will not be misled as to what constitutes real victory in the spiritual realm. Let’s read:
Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word, for the time is at hand. God bless!