Deuteronomy 18:14-22
The Prophet
14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. 15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”
17 The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.
John 1:1-5
Jesus was with God in the Beginning
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
John 14:5-6
Jesus is the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Moses writes about a Prophet that would come in the future...The LORD told Moses that I will raise up this Prophet like you from among the fellow Israelites, and I will put My words in His mouth...He will tell them everything I command Him...I Myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to My words that this Prophet says, and My Prophet will speak in My name...
I think before Jesus, Moses was our road map and the way to heaven, because we did not have Jesus yet...Jesus was with us from the beginning, He was there in a divine way, but God had not sent Him to earth to teach His disciples yet...So before we knew that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life we had Moses and the other Prophets leading us to heaven...But this changed after Jesus was born...Many things changed after Jesus came to earth...We learn about Jesus and the way to heaven is now through Him and His teachings...He is the new roadmap...Jesus is the most influential Man ever to walk the earth...
What makes this so interesting, is God waited thousand of years to send His Son to earth for us...It had to be the perfect time, because God is Perfect...God sent One from the fellow Israelites, a Baby, then a young Boy, then a Man for all Israel to see...He sent the promised Messiah...God sent us a Real Man...This Man would speak the Words of God, because He and His Father are One...Some would believe, others would not (believe that He was the Messiah)...Those who follow the Light would see Him, those in the dark would not...
I think of before Jesus came to earth, this way...My wife and I travel to Florida off and on for many years...Years ago we would use a paper road map...Then one Christmas she bought me a GPS system for our car...Now several years later, new streets line the cities of Florida and the new GPS systems update the new ways and travels...The main roads have remained the main way to Florida, but the new streets have emerged, so we can make it to our destination...To me, Moses is like the old paper road map...He can get you to your destination, but things have changed...The main road is now through Jesus...He was with God from the beginning and some how a part of the main road...Now, He is the way, the truth and the life...Jesus is now always the current GPS...He gets us where we need to be...As streets, people, and technology seem to change the world we live in Jesus remains the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow...Jesus knew all these things would change on earth (and could be with us yesterday, today, and tomorrow), but He would and could remain the same (past and present), because He is divine...His Light shines in all the darkness, but the darkness does not understand this...
If you want to go anywhere directions are necessary...These directions can be in your head, on a map, an atlas, or a GPS...But the directions are absolutely important...
Jesus is our way to heaven...He tells us He is the only way to the Father...Jesus gives us directions to heaven...Jesus was resurrected by His Father and is the way to our Father's Kingdom...He is much more than just our directions to heaven...He was a Man, who lived and died on the cross for us and our sins...He was a Man with nerve endings and is real...He felt and feels the things that we feel...He had thoughts on earth, like any man has thoughts...Directions from maps and things can get you around earth...But heaven is different...Jesus is now the only way to heaven...We need Him to get to the Kingdom of God, where the Father is -so we can meet our Father and Maker...