Dragons in New York City! A Dragon on Wall Street. A Dragon on the Empire State Building. What is happening? Jonathan shows us that these are just end times signs that God is giving us to show that Jesus return to Earth is soon. We are in the Biblical prophesied time of the end of the Dragon’s (Satan) rule over planet Earth. Jesus will then rule the world with the nation, Israel, that God established for His purposes on Earth taking its rightful place as the lead nation of the world.
Even before the people of Israel went into the Promised Land, just before Moses died, he was told by God to teach them this song so that it will be a witness to Jews even to this day.
“Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.” So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel. Deuteronomy 39:19-22
Be on the winning side. Be strong in the Lord and be victorious.
God chose the man Moses to establish His nation to bring them out of captivity in Egypt with great miracles. His life is miraculous from the beginning but note how God had to humble Moses after his time in Pharaoh’s court.
Pharaoh, shortly before Moses’ birth, decreed the death of all Hebrew male children. Moses’ mother Jochebed carried out a plan to save her child. She put him in a small ark and placed it in the reeds along the river hoping someone would find Moses and let him live. Pharaoh’s daughter finds the baby and immediately adopts him. Miriam (Moses’ sister), who serves the princess, suggests and arranges for her mother to nurse the child.
Moses grew up taught and trained in Pharaoh’s court. From the age of twenty to forty he was “mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). He, according to historian Josephus, became general of the Egyptian army and led a successful campaign against the Ethiopians (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 2, Chapter 10).
God then humbled him with 40 years in the wilderness as a herdsman before commissioning him through the burning bush experience. Nevertheless, he now needs Aaron as his spokesman.
After bringing the Jews out of Egypt, because of unbelief, Moses had to lead them another 40 years in the wilderness until that generation died. Because of one significant act of disobedience, God did not allow Moses to go into the Promised Land. Mind you, Moses eventually went into the Promised Land about 1400 years later with Elijah in glorified bodies to meet Jesus and three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration.
What is astounding is that God shows Moses Israel’s future and tells him to tell it to the people before he dies and they go into their land. It is called the Song of Moses and it includes them departing from God’s commandments and being cast out of the land and scattered throughout the world. Fortunately, Moses was shown that God would eventually regather them from all around the world back to the land He had promised them. Note how the Song of Moses ends.
“For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and none is remaining, bond or free... Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people’s land. “Deuteronomy 32:36, 41-43
Before Israel went into the Promised Land under Joshua they were told their entire history. No wonder Jews are still Jews regardless of where God has scattered them. Moreover, God has begun to bring them back to their land and whilst they will go through intense persecution under the Antichrist we know from Biblical prophecy that Jesus will return to rescue them at the Battle of Armageddon and set up His Millennial Kingdom.
“And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longeruntil the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:2-6
The Bible’s first five books—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—are known as the Torah, Law, or Pentateuch. The Torah has long been ascribed to Moses. Indeed, the books’ internal evidence points to Moses, claiming his authorship, e.g., Exodus 17:14; 24:4–7; 34:27; Numbers 33:2; Deuteronomy 31:9, 22, 24.
Other Old Testament books affirm Moses’ authorship, e.g., Joshua 1:7–8; 8:32–34; Judges 3:4; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 14:6; 21:8; 2 Chronicles 25:4; Ezra 6:18; Nehemiah 8:1; 13:1; Daniel 9:11–13. New Testament writers likewise with John 1:17; Acts 6:14; 13:39; 15:5; 1 Corinthians 9:9; 2 Corinthians 3:15; Hebrews 10:28.
Finally, Jesus cited Moses as the author, frequently speaking of Moses’ writings or the Law of Moses without any disclaimer, e.g., Matthew 8:4; 19:7–8; Mark 7:10; 12:26; Luke 24:27, 44; John 7:19. Indeed, Jesus stressed the seriousness of denying Moses several times, including:
“If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” John 5:46, 47
Similarly, today’s liberal theologians who doubt Moses often doubt what Jesus said (aside from selective and twisted use to support their agreements with politically correct causes).
In Luke 16:19–31, Jesus relates how a rich man in hell begged someone to return from the dead to warn his brothers. But as Jesus explains further:
He [Abraham] said to him [the rich man], “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” Luke 16;31
This is extremely serious. Jesus said that rejectors of Moses would not be persuaded even by a resurrection. Not surprisingly, churches and seminaries rejecting the historicity of Moses’ writings often also reject the Lord Jesus Christ’s literal bodily resurrection.
Indeed, Jesus affirmed the absolute authority of Moses’ writings in Matthew:
“I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:18
Jesus affirmed Scripture’s inspiration even down to the smallest letter—“jot” (Greek iotaι the equivalent Hebrew yod י) — or a letter — “tittle” (e.g., the smallest stroke of a pen differentiating between beitℶ kaphℶ, daletℸ, reshℸ
MOSES AS EDITOR OF GENESIS
Although included in the Torah as a ‘Book of Moses’, Genesis is a special case. While Moses eye-witnessed the events of Exodus to Deuteronomy, Genesis’ events occurred long before his time. Moses is not named as the book’s author; the best explanation is he was the editor of Genesis.
Internal evidence includes many editorial comments (e.g., Genesis 26:33, 32:32), to explain events to his readers living centuries after the events of Genesis. (Moses often uses Egyptian reference points in the Pentateuch (Genesis 13:10, Numbers 13:22), strong internal evidence that he wrote for people who had just escaped Egypt and were unfamiliar with the Promised Land.) But highlighting how Genesis preserves events from long before Moses, sometimes the ancient sources were left alone. For example, Genesis 10:19 states: The territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomor rah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
Note, “as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah”. Consider a New York City guidebook providing directions “as you go towards the Twin Towers”. The natural conclusion is that the guidebook was written when these great landmarks were still standing, i.e., before the terrorist attack on 11 September 2001. Similarly, the internal evidence of Genesis 10:19 points to it being written before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24), at or even before Abraham’s time. These two wicked cities had been lost under the Dead Sea for centuries by Moses’ time.
11-TOLEDOT STRUCTURE
Genesis’ real sources are eleven family documents headed by toledot. The phrase ‘ēllĕh tôləḏôṯ (אֵ֚לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת) is usually translated as “these are the generations of …”. This takes the preceding section’s results and propels it forward in the narrative. Genesis’ toledots tell us what followed from the named person.
There is also a repeated historical pattern moving from blessings to curses. For example:
Toledot of the heavens and earth, Genesis 2:4–4:26. ‘What followed from creation’, particularly what became of creation’s crowning point (man and woman), their fall from perfection into sin, and the curse on the cosmos.
Toledot of Adam, Genesis 5:1–6:8. ‘What followed from Adam’ continues the further degeneration of man into utter wickedness. We see the two main lines of descendants: Cain’s and Seth’s. This toledot starts in 5:1–2 with blessing but ends in God’s intention to blot out mankind in 6:7.
Toledot of Noah, Genesis 6:9–9:29. ‘What followed from Noah’. God’s curse on the wicked earth in the Flood, but the blessing of saving Noah’s family on the Ark. But then the righteous Noah becomes drunk, leading to Canaan’s curse.
Toledot of Noah’s three sons, Genesis 10:1–11:9. ‘What followed from Shem, Japheth, and Ham’, the descendants of these patriarchs’ founding nations. This account starts with the blessing of the population expansion and ends with the curse of the confusion of languages at Babel “in the days of Peleg” (10:25). This confusion led to the dispersion into nations.
BIBLICAL PROPHECY PROOF OF THE BIBLES INSPIRATION
Even before the Israelites went into the Promised Land, Moses told them their entire future checkered history, including their being cast out of the land and dispersed throughout the nations but also the end of the story when God would regather them and their Messiah will rule the nations and they will be a people, “holy to the Lord your God”. Could this be the reason there are still Jews in the world today? They are hanging onto God’s future promises.
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.” Deuteronomy 28:1
“And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them.” Deuteronomy 28:13
“And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as He has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, and that He will set you in praise and in fame and in honour high above all nations that He has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as He promised.”Deuteronomy 26:18-19
“And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and He will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.“Deuteronomy 30:1-3
“And the Lord yourGod will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” Deuteronomy 30:5-6
“On the day that I cleanse you (House of Israel) from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.” Ezekiel 36:33-36
“The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.” Exodus 3:7-8
This Scripture tells us that God has decided to deliver the Jews out of the hand of the Egyptians and give them their own land which is now occupied by other nations. The next verse tells us who the Lord is speaking to and where. It is Moses and he is tending sheep which is what he has been doing for the last 40 years. Then we learn that God tells a reluctant Moses that He is going to use Moses to achieve His purposes.
What can we learn from these scriptures as to how God brings about His purposes on this earth and how He might want to use us to bring about His will on earth. Bear in mind most of us are praying to God “for His will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven” This is the prayer Jesus taught us to pray: “Our Father who is in heaven hallowed be your name, Your Kingdom come Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven… ”
Do we realise that this phrase in the Lord’s prayer is about us submitting and allowing God to use us to do His will!
God chose Moses right from His birth to bring about the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt and to bring them to the Promised Land. All of Moses life experiences prepared him for that task particularly his time, effectively as the Pharaoh’s sisters child, in the Pharaoh’s palace. Also, Joseph’s life story of preparation for God’s purposes through difficult circumstances is similar to that of Moses.
The Scriptures are full of examples of God using people to do His will on earth.
Philip is told to go and speak to the Ethiopian (Acts 8).
Ananias is called to go and lay hands on Saul/Paul (Acts 9).
Peter is sent to go and speak to Cornelius (Acts 10).
Most often God does the work of fulfilling His purposes on earth through His people.
Can I suggest you consider what life experiences you have had and therefore what God may be preparing for you to do to bring about His will on this earth. It may not be as grand a task as that of Moses and Joseph’s but God does have a plan for you to help bring about His Will on this earth. Keep praying the Lord’s Prayer with this in mind.
Mount Sinai is the very place where God’s presence was revealed in “a blazing fire” to all the people of Israel. (Hebrews 12:18). The place where God wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. The mountain where Elijah fled to and heard the “still small” voice of God (1 Kings 19). It is also likely the place where Paul the apostle travelled to shortly after his conversion experience to receive a fuller revelation of his gospel from heaven. It is a mountain that is literally drenched with divine history.
So where is Mount Sinai?
Joel interviews Tim Mahoney, creator and director of the Red Sea Miracle documentary. Joel is the author of the new book, Mount Sinai in Arabia. Both Joel and Tim have reached the same conclusion – the real Mt Sinai is in Saudi Arabia. The timing of the discovery maybe part of God’s “end times” plan to provide historical proof of Israel’s existence and therefore God’s existence. It’s location near the most sacred Muslim site is no coincidence either. I believe it’s part of God’s plan to reach Muslim’s with the truth of the Gospel.
The debate over where the true Mount Sinai is located goes back thousands of years. The debate has only raged all the more since the popularisation of the view that Jebel al-Lawz in Saudi Arabia is the real location by American explorers Ron Wyatt, Bob Cornuke and Jim and Penny Caldwell. Join New York Times bestselling author and internationally recognised teacher Joel Richardson as he explores the many reasons why this controversial location is by far the best candidate for the true “Mountain of God.”
Patterns of Evidence Documentaries – The Red Sea Miracle is a film series directed by Tim Mahoney. Their latest release is the Doubting Thomas Research Foundation’s film, Finding the Mountain of Moses: The Real Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia.
Quit saying, ‘I am getting older.’ the Holy Spirit in you is ageless. Allow Him to quicken your mortal body and soar with the eagles. Many of you know I am in my eighties. God initiated my latest ministry project http://www.powerpointsermons.net when I turned eighty. Both of my books: Build a Kingdom Business and Living Eternal Now have a sub heading “Empowered by the Holy Spirit” and were written in my seventies.
“Wisdom is with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life.” You have more wisdom now than ever. With years comes understanding.” Job 12:12. Caleb when he reached 85 years, said to the Lord, “I am as strong now as when I was forty, and I want to take another mountain!” Many of God’s heroes started their ministry when they reached 80.
Moses, Joshua, Caleb. Why is that? Maybe, it is then that we know we can’t do it in our own strength and God is certain to get the glory.
Psalm 68:28 says, “Your God has commanded your strength.” God is commanding His strength into you! ”
Our older years are when we are in our prime to be used and bring forth fruit.
Psalm 91:16 says, “With long life I will satisfy [you] and show [you[ My salvation.”
What prompted this post is a prophecy I came across by Bill Yount. Bill has authored several prophetic books. His latest book is: The Power of Real / Transparent Prophetic Encouragement.
A Word to the Kingdom’s Older Stars
I sense the Lord saying, “The older stars in My kingdom are going to shine brighter and do greater exploits than ever before!” I sense there is a special anointing coming upon older men and women in the Body of Christ. God is not through using you. Your age is not against you, it is for you. Job 12:12 says, “Wisdom is with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life.” You have more wisdom now than ever. With years comes understanding.
This anointing is going to cause you to live longer. Many of you have not planned to live long enough. It will be an anointing similar to Caleb when he reached 85 years. He said to the Lord, “I am as strong now as when I was forty, and I want to take another mountain!” There is coming a “spiritual fountain of youth” into your midst, a renewing, a release of God’s strength. Psalm 68:28 says, “Your God has commanded your strength.” God is commanding His strength into you! One translation says, “Your God has decided you will be strong!”
Many of You Are Going to Have to Live Longer
Many of you are going to have to live longer because God is not through using you. Many of you are going to go into a second “childhood” in the Spirit. You will be reactivated by God to live out your dreams that you are just dreaming about right now. People and relatives will laugh and say, “You are going to do what? You are going to go where? At your age?” But that anointing is going to rise up within you to take mountains, to do exploits, to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint (see Isa. 40:31).
There is an anointing coming upon God’s people to live longer. The joy of the Lord which is our strength is lengthening our days upon the earth.
Deuteronomy should make us conscious of our responsibility for obedience.
Deuteronomy is a record of the words that Moses spoke to the people of Israel just prior to their entering the Promised Land. In fact, the first line of the books states, “These are the words,” giving Deuteronomy its Hebrew title Devarim – “Words.” The original adults who fled Egypt have all passed away, and a new generation has risen up. God is going to give them great victory against their enemies in Canaan, but many temptations are also going to face them. Moses gives the Israelite’s one last sermon to reiterate God’s instructions for them.
The children were not held responsible for the cowardice of their parents. They were assured possession of the land while the parents were sent back to the desert. The author of Hebrews later points to the wilderness strewn with the corpses of that faithless generation as a grim reminder.
There are consequences for lacking confidence in God’s power.
God provided for the Israelites. He did huge miracles on their behalf. He wanted to bring them into the Land, but He had to let the faithless parents die in the desert. He could not pollute the land with unbelievers right from the beginning.
When we fail to appreciate the power and love of God, it’s like we’re poking a finger in His eye.
That’s disturbing stuff. We get enamoured with grace, but we fail to realise some of these implications. God loves us completely, and He has tremendous patience with us. That’s why it is such an incredible insult to suggest He doesn’t love us. He gave us everything. He gave us His Son. All eternity is ours because of God’s self-sacrifice. How can we be so cruel and foolish to think for a moment He doesn’t love us or that He can’t be trusted?
Trusting God is loving God. If we trust Him, though, that also means we trust Him enough to obey Him. Real trust says, “I know Your way is best.”
We are saved through the blood of Jesus, not by our works. However, in His seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, Jesus repeatedly offers rewards to the “overcomer.” Overcoming is incredibly important. The fruit of our lives is at stake. The lives of other people are at stake. Our rewards in Heaven are at stake. Moses was saved, but he didn’t get to enter the Promised Land he’d worked so hard to reach.
Let’s get to the end of our lives and be able to say, “I fought the good fight. I finished the race.”
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 