Moses and Christ Compared

Gen 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

Gen 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

Gen 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

Gen 32:27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

Gen 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Gen 32:29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

Moses and Christ Compared

Moses, in his office as the mediator between the people and their God, was a reflected image of Christ, and he not only represented the kingly power among God's people, but also that of the redemption. His very first act was to redeem the descendants of Abraham from the state of bondage, and without such a redeeming act he could not become their king. The office of Christ, relating to his kingly power, cannot be understood unless it is studied from the position that Moses represented.

By the Mosaic movement God's chosen people became an independent nation, and in the course of time the throne of David became established among them. To that particular throne God fastened all his promises that he made to Israel regarding their future kingdom.

The Lord said to David:

"And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom." (2 Sam. 7: 12.)

That promise has direct reference to Christ, because Solomon was placed on the throne while David still lived. King Solomon was a reflected image of Christ. But the reflection or shadow comes from the throne of David when Christ, as the glorious King over the descendants of Abraham, sits on that throne. That belongs to a future development.

The angel who announced the coming of the true Messiah, said to Mary:

"Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luk. 1: 30-33.)

Christ cannot be seated on that throne unless a movement, similar to that of Moses, is brought forth first, to gather the dispersed seed of Jacob's house.When Christ came the first time, he found only two of the twelve tribes in Palestine, hence he could not establish the throne of David then. Besides, certain prophetic developments had to be carried out before the establishment of that throne; we will consider them in their proper places.

The apostle Peter explains the Messianic movement, as compared with the one that Moses carried out in Egypt, and gives us the special time when it shall be brought about. Speaking to the Jews after the death and resurrection of Christ, he says:

"But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he had so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken have likewise foretold of these days."

(Acts 3: 18-24.)

This testimony settles it as a fact, that a Messianic movement similar to the one that Moses carried out, will occur at the second coming of Christ, prior to the establishment of the throne of David. The prophetic office and movement go before or in advance of the kingly throne. The prophetic office comprises both, the kingly and redeeming authorities, which is seen in the office of Samuel and even in that of Moses. Thus the prophetic office of Christ will execute its power before his kingly authority is developed.

"A prophet like Moses" indicates that He will gather the dispersed people, redeem them from the powers that hold them, arid. unite them into one solid nation, which will finally conquer the world. That shall be done in the days foretold by all the prophets. Let us then follow up some of the things foretold in order to see how and under what circumstances the movement will be carried out. It is the house of Jacob that shall be gathered together and become a distinct nation under the scepter of the Messiah. Then we shall turn first to Jacob, the patriarch, to learn what he says:

"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. Gather yourselves together, and hear ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father." READ GEN 49 FOR ALL TRIBES

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Then, in speaking to one at a time, beginning with the firstborn, and coming to Judah, he says:

"Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes."(Gen. 49: 1, 2, 9-11.)

Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

The "Shiloh," he says, shall come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. He told them what would happen to them in the "last days"—at the time of fulfillment of the promises of God." Who is "Shiloh?" He is the one who will carry out a gathering movement like Moses did. Shiloh means the "Prince of Peace." If we then turn to Isaiah 9^th chap., we shall find there a description of the "Prince of Peace" and how he will attain his position as such:

"Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy; they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." (Is. 9: 3-7.)

The Prince of Peace, who will gather the people in the last days, is the Son that has been given us. This Son is Christ. When he came the first time, instead of gathering the people to himself in order to become their king, he was put to death or taken away from the people. But at his second coming, according to Peter, the prophecy of Moses, which says: Act 3:23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

How will he establish his position or office as the Prince of Peace? He will break the yoke of his (Jacob's) burden and the staff or rod of his oppressor as in the day of Midian, when Gideon with only three hundred men conquered the Midianites and two other armies, who like a multitude of grasshoppers came to devour Israel. By his kingly power, every noisy implement of war and every garment rolled in blood shall be burnt with fuel of fire.

This was not done when Christ came the first time. The house of Jacob is yet in bondage, and the world is filled with implements of war. At his first advent, he, in the words of the patriarch, "stooped down, he couched as a lion." But at his second advent he will manifest his lion-nature and conquer his and his people's enemies. Like Moses, he will deliver his people from all oppression and raise them into national power, and by them he will destroy all weapons of war and establish peace on the earth.

In the 30th chap. of Jeremiah is a prophetic declaration concerning the Messianic movement that will finally restore the throne of David as the seat of the Messiah:

"For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people" Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him." (Jer. 30: 3-8.)

The days referred to by Peter and all the prophets, are pointed to here again as the time for the gathering of the house of Jacob. But that house in its scattered state is not one, but two houses: namely, the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Judah represents the two tribes which existed in Palestine at the time of Christ's first coming—Judah and Benjamin. The house of Israel represents the other ten tribes, which at that time were in captivity; from that captivity they have not been restored yet.

Genesis 49

49:1 And Jacob called his sons, and said to them, 2 Assemble yourselves, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear me, sons of Jacob; hear Israel, hear your father. 3 Ruben, thou art my first-born, thou my strength, and the first of my children, hard to be endured, hard and self-willed. 4 Thou wast insolent like water, burst not forth with violence, for thou wentest up to the bed of thy father; then thou defiledst the couch, whereupon thou wentest up. 5 Symeon and Levi, brethren, accomplished the injustice of their cutting off. 6 Let not my soul come into their counsel, and let not mine inward parts contend in their conspiracy, for in their wrath they slew men, and in their passion they houghed a bull. 7 Cursed be their wrath, for it was willful, and their anger, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. 8 Juda, thy brethren have praised thee, and thy hands shall be on the back of thine enemies; thy father’s sons shall do thee reverence. 9 Juda is a lion’s whelp: from the tender plant, my son, thou art gone up, having couched thou liest as a lion, and as a whelp; who shall stir him up? 10 A ruler shall not fail from Juda, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations. 11 Binding his foal to the vine, and the foal of his ass to the branch of it, he shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape. 12 His eyes shall be more cheering than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. 13 Zabulon shall dwell on the coast, and he shall be by a haven of ships, and shall extend to Sidon. 14 Issachar has desired that which is good; resting between the inheritances. 15 And having seen the resting place that it was good, and the land that it was fertile, he subjected his shoulder to labour, and became a husbandman. 16 Dan shall judge his people, as one tribe too in Israel. 17 And let Dan be a serpent in the way, besetting the path, biting the heel of the horse (and the rider shall fall backward), 18 waiting for the salvation of the Lord. 19 Gad, a plundering troop shall plunder him; but he shall plunder him, pursuing him closely. 20 Aser, his bread shall be fat; and he shall yield dainties to princes. 21 Nephthalim is a spreading stem, bestowing beauty on its fruit. 22 Joseph is a son increased; my dearly loved son is increased; my youngest son, turn to me. 23 Against whom men taking evil counsel reproached him, and the archers pressed hard upon him. 24 But their bow and arrows were mightily consumed, and the sinews of their arms were slackened by the hand of the mighty one of Jacob; thence is he that strengthened Israel from the God of thy father; 25 and my God helped thee, and he blessed thee with the blessing of heaven from above, and the blessing of the earth possessing all things, because of the blessing of the breasts and of the womb, 26 the blessings of thy father and thy mother—it has prevailed above the blessing of the lasting mountains, and beyond the blessings of the everlasting hills; they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the head of the brothers of whom he took the lead. 27 Benjamin, as a ravening wolf, shall eat still in the morning, and at evening he gives food. 28 All these are the twelve sons of Jacob; and their father spoke these words to them, and he blessed them; he blessed each of them according to his blessing. 29 And he said to them, I am added to my people; ye shall bury me with my fathers in the cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Chettite, 30 in the double cave which is opposite Mambre, in the land of Chanaan, the cave which Abraam bought of Ephron the Chettite, for a possession of a sepulchre. 31 There they buried Abraam and Sarrha his wife; there they buried Isaac, and Rebecca his wife; there they buried Lea; 32 in the portion of the field, and of the cave that was in it, purchased of the sons of Chet. 33 And Jacob ceased giving charges to his sons; and having lifted up his feet on the bed, he died, and was gathered to his people.