Glory of God

In the book of Mathew 17 we see, Jesus Christ, with his three disciples, called them and went to the mountain. When he was there, his appearance changed and his face shone like the sun and clothes became as white as light. With him Moses and Elijah appeared. The glory of God was shown and a voice came that Jesus is Fathers dearly son. When the glory of God and His sound came, disciples fell face down on the ground. The glory of God reveals his children and destroys the evil.

In Exodus 24, when The Lord called up Moses to the mountain, the glory of God came to Sinai and covered it for 6 days. For the people who were down the mountain, it was looking like a consuming fire. We can see Moses communicated with God face to face and his face was radiating God’s glory. God’s glory will not only destroy the enemies, but also will radiate through His faithful servants.

Rulers of the earth are preparing battles against Lord and his beloved people. But the scripture says, God is laughing at them. There is always a warning when persecution against his children happens. God rebukes the one who fight against his children (Psalms 2)

In the history of Israel, we see, whenever they cried, the Lord helped, Even though he is a forgiving God, he rebukes the one who are against his children. When he reveals his glory, the enemy flees.

The nation of Israel survived these years with the help of God’s glory. A small nation, but a super powerful nation has the glory of God. As the New Testament Israel, the believers of Christ Jesus will be protected the same way when the glory of God comes. How can you attain this glory?

When the Spirit of God touches you and anoints you, the glory of God will be revealed through your life. It is like a fire which burns down all the worldly powers against your soul and you will be attached with God, like Moses (Acts 2).

To be filled with the Spirit, you need to accept Christ as your saviour and walk in His ways. It is God’s timing when to fill you and according to your walk with Him, you are going to be filled and more power and glory will surround you (Acts 11: 24). May The Lord help you to walk His ways and fill you with His glory to be a testimony for Him.

Transfiguration

When the chosen leader of Israel, Moses went up to Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments in two tablets, he was in the powerful presence of Almighty God. So when he came back from the mountain, because of God’s holiness Moses’s face was radiant since he spoke with The Lord. Everyone who saw Moses got afraid because his face was so bright and shining. So he put a veil over his face and covered it. Whenever he went to talk to God, he removed the veil and when he was with the people he covered his face with the veil (Exodus 34: 29 – 35).

The Lord, The creator is Holy and is great. Because of his holiness and glory, he spoke with Moses and Aaron through a pillar of cloud. As God is Holy and a bright light, His light shines through out where his presence is (Psalms 99).

In the New Testament we see Jesus calling three of his disciples John, Peter and James to go to the mountain and pray. Before some days, Jesus himself told them about his death. Now as Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Moses whom God buried and Elijah whom God took alive appeared in the same way and talked with Jesus about the future events. When Peter woke up he understood the men with Jesus and he became worldly and told them that he will make shelters for everyone and suddenly a cloud came and covered them (Luke 9: 29-35). Then they heard a voice from Heaven “This is my son, whom I have chosen; listen to him” (Luke 9: 35).

Your body in this world is just a covering or a tent for your spirit to be dwelled in (2 Peter 1: 13). There is going to be a day when you need to leave this body. When you believe in Jesus Christ, after your Spirit departs from your body, you are also going to be transfigured into the splendour of holiness. The Transfiguration of Jesus proves that he is the son of God. It also shows us that when Christ comes for the second time, the believers of Christ who are dead are going to enter into His kingdom with glorified bodies.

To be a part of it, you need to repent your sins and accept Christ as your saviour. Pray to God for forgiving your sins and ask Christ Jesus to cleanse you with the precious blood he shed for you on the cross (Hebrews 9: 22) and be a part of transfiguration. May The Lord be with you.

Rules and Regulations

The book of Deuteronomy is a collection of orations and songs of Moses he gave as his farewell to the children of Israel. This book shows the blessings of obedience and the curse of disobedience. Everything depends on obedience – life itself, possession of the Promised Land, victory over foes, prosperity and happiness. Moses did this to remind the people what God had done for them and what they were to do to serve him when they reached the Promised Land.

As the book opens we see the children of Israel on the border of the land of Canaan, in a place where 11 days journey, some 40 years before, could have brought them. Yet it had taken them 40 years. How slowly they covered the ground. How often we have to go over the same ground again and again. We marvel at Israel’s slowness. We can rather marvel at our own. We, like they, are kept back by unbelief. We should be ashamed at the time it takes us to learn or lessons. God is a faithful teacher. He never lets us pass to another grade until we are ready.

Here God is putting before the children of Israel the conditions summed up in one great word, Obedience. The children of Israel entered the Promised Land under the conditions of Law. Moses gives the children of Israel a look back. He recalls the history of Israel and reviews their wanderings. He reminds them of Gods faithfulness and urges them to be grateful and obedient. He likens God’s care of them to a loving father who cherishes his little ones lest they should be lost in the wilderness or be injured by the heat of the sun. He supplied all their needs; they lacked nothing (Deuteronomy 2:7).

Moses repeatedly reminds them that they are a people of holy to the Lord (Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2, 21; 26:19). Because Gods people are his, he wants them to walk in the world in the way that befits them, separating themselves from evil (Deuteronomy 14). They should show charity toward their fellow humans (Deuteronomy 15). They must gather together to worship (Deuteronomy 16).

We see Moses giving the people some solemn warnings. He first spoke of the blessings the children of Israel could enjoy if they would be obedient. He then told them the results of disobedience. Misfortune would follow them in everything they would undertake – in business, in farming and in health. They would suffer for their disobedience to God.

Deuteronomy 28 is a most remarkable chapter. It traces what Israel might have been through obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and is yet to be in the millennial age to come (Isiah 60-62; Zechariah 14:8-21; Jeremiah 31:1-9; Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Romans 11:25-31). Deuteronomy 28:47-49 refers to the Roman invasion (70 AD) which can be found in history. Deuteronomy 28: 63-67 describes the Jewish people in last century. God spoke these more than 3000 years ago.

The end of the book is the calling of Joshua. The charge that Moses gave to the people and to Joshua was built on one great fact, “The Lord is with you; be strong”. If God is present, fear is baseless.

In Deuteronomy 32, Moses closed his life’s work with a song.  After the song, in Deuteronomy 34, Moses went up to Mount Nebo (Pisgah) and there God showed him the Promised Land and there he died and Lord buried him.

In Deuteronomy 30:1-10, we see the present Israel. Everything which was said about their future got fulfilled and they cried and called the Lord and the Lord brought them back to their land. Now they are prosperous.

History and Old Testament tells about Israel’s curses and blessings. As believers of Christ, the New Testament Israel should analyse their life on what they are going through. If these curses are there in their life, do what children of Israel did – cry and call unto the Lord. Confess the sins, accept Christ as saviour and live a holy life. Whatever blessings the country of Israel is enjoying, the same can be inherited through the son of God Jesus Christ.

May God help you to analyse your life and confess before him and enjoy his blessings of salvation.

The Rescue

The book of Exodus is the thrilling epic of God’s rescue act. It tells of the redeeming work of a sovereign God. The book gives us the story of Moses, the great hero of God. 

If the book of Genesis is a family history, the book of Exodus is a national history. After Joseph’s death a new dynasty came to the throne in Egypt and the wealth and great numbers of children of Israel made them objects of suspicion in the eyes of the Egyptians. The pharaohs reduced them to a slavery of the worst sort. The people remembered the promises God had given to Abraham and his descendants, and it made this bondage doubly hard to understand (Genesis 12:1-3). 

The story of Exodus is repeated in every soul that seeks deliverance from the enmeshing and enervating influence of the world. The plagues and the negotiations Moses had to make with Pharaoh must have lasted for nearly a year. This gave the children of Israel more time to gather their things. We study Exodus in order to see God’s way of delivering sinful people, and his gracious purposes in rescuing them.

Exodus 12 gives us the thrilling story of Passover, the clearest Old Testament picture of our individual salvation through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. God had sent nine plagues on Egypt in order to make pharaoh willing to let his people go. Finally God said that the firstborn in all Egypt should die. This tenth plague would have fallen on the Israelites too, had they not killed the paschal lamb and been protected by its blood of redemption (Exodus 12: 12, 13). They left Egypt under the blood as marked people. They passed through the Red Sea as a directed determined people. God led them out and shut the door behind them. 

In Exodus 20 to 24, we see the laws given, broken and restored. The law did not make us sin, but it showed us that we are sinners. The physician comes and looks at a child and the symptoms reveal that it is sick. He gives the child some medicine for cure. The doctor did not make the child sick, but he proved that the sickness was there (Galatians 4:4, 5; Romans 8:1-4; 3:19-28).The law is God’s mirror to show us our exceeding sinfulness (Romans 7:12). Before Israel even received the law or started to keep it, they were dancing around the golden calf, and worshipping a god they had made (Exodus 32:1-10,18). 

God told Moses he wished a sanctuary or holy dwelling place that should point to Christ and tell of his person and work. Exodus 25 to 40 gives us the account of building of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle, having the cloud of glory over it, taught the people that God was dwelling in their midst (Exodus 25:8). Tabernacle was the common center and rallying point that could be moved from time to time. 

Even though God gave his law, the mirror to analyse about them, Israel sinned and can be seen in the history how they got the punishment. But God did not give up on them. As he promised he called them back and now they are a powerful nation. The people who follow Jesus Christ are called New Israelites. Same is applied for New Israel. Whatever blessings God pronounced on Israel will come upon them as well. Of course Law is there. But since Christ obeyed the law faithfully and died for our sins, believing in Christ is the qualification for us to become the New Israel.

May God help you and bless you to be the chosen New Israel through Christ Jesus.