Jesus is the Promised Land

February 11, 2001 pm
MF Blume

Exodus 3:1-4 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.	Revelation 1:10-13 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And *in the midst of the seven candlesticks one* like unto the Son of man**, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Exodus 19:16-18 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.	Revelation 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Exodus 24:12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.	Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Israel was bound in the slavery of Egypt when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush.

The churches were suffering persecution when John saw a vision of Jesus in the burning candlesticks shaped like a tree.

God wanted to take Israel into the Promised Land to be free of bondage.

We are going to show you tonight that the Word of God teaches that the true Promised land is Jesus Christ.

When we study the Finished Work of the Cross, there is something that begins to manifest very clearly in the Bible.
The work is completed and God will do nothing else in this world besides that which He did to initiate the New Testament.
Many are speaking about natural Israel returning to the Promised Land in the Middle East.
I am going to show you that Jesus is the only Promised Land into which God will lead anybody!

Let us go back to the Promises of God given to Moses while they were on their way into the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give [you] the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Above we see God promising Moses that in the land of Promise He would send rain in due season as a blessing if the people heed His word.

They would be blessed with corn and wine and oil.
They would receive the early and the latter rain.
Look at what we read about these things in Joel.

Joel 2:19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

It sounds a lot like the words to Moses. But as we continue to read, notice the language used.

Joel 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
Joel 2:28-29 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

This begins to sound a whole lot like New Testament talk!

In fact, Peter said this was fulfilled in his day!

Acts 2:16-18 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

This was fulfilled when the 120 in the upper room were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in other tongues!

Peter was inspired by the Holy Ghost and said that Joel's prophecy was fulfilled in the day of Acts 2!
The early and the latter rain is the Spirit of God poured out like rain in the upper room.

Back to Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 11:15-17 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.

These were blessings that would be experienced in the Promised Land.

The grass would grow bountifully due to the rain.
We already saw that the true rain is the downpour of the Holy Spirit.
These words were contained in the books of Law.
And Law pointed ahead to the time of Jesus.
Jesus said, "Moses wrote of me."
When Jesus came, the people who were meant to accept Him were to leave Law and continue onward with Him.
Law was a schoolmaster to bring the Jews to Christ.
And once they had Christ they would be no longer beneath a schoolmaster.

Galatians 3:24-25 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

I declare to you today that the Church has the blessings that were foretold in Deuteronomy.

We accepted Jesus.
And many of the Jews in Christ's day rejected Him.
These blessings are spiritual in nature.

1Corinthians 15:46

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

The true rain that God wanted to give is the Spirit.

Deuteronomy 31:28-29 Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

Moses was told that Israel would indeed reject God's word.

This would occur in the "latter days."
And God said that judgment would fall.

Peter said that Joel's reference to the "last days" was speaking about that day in Acts 2.

Acts 2:16-17 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days,
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Hebrews also called those early church days "these last days."

As God told Moses, Jesus came and they rejected His words.
The days when Israel rejected Christ were "the last days" in the writings of the Apostles.

God gave Moses a song that would be sung in witness against Israel when they finally would disobey God and reject Him.

Deuteronomy 31:30-32 And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended. Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

God interprets very clearly to us what He meant earlier by the rain.

Not only do we see that rain is Spirit, but here, God says that rain is DOCTRINE.
Spiritual Rain is biblically said to be DOCTRINE.
What doctrine?
Its Acts 2:38, Apostolic doctrine!

Keep reading, for it all points to Jesus:

Deuteronomy 32:3-4 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Jesus is the Rock!

1Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Back to Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 32:5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.

You see the very same thing spoken to the Jews in the "latter days" of Jesus ministry and the Apostles' ministry.

Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Matthew 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
Acts 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

What we are beginning to realize is that God told Moses about the time Jesus would come!

That was the "latter days" period when Israel would reject God's word.
Jesus is the Word made flesh.
It all points to Jesus!

Deuteronomy 32:15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

This was foretelling the rejection of Jesus Christ!

In the latter days.
In that evil generation.

Deuteronomy 32:19-20 And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

This is the same thought as is "untoward generation," spoken by Peter.

Notice the stress upon the lack of faith.
The New Testament is completely about faith.

Deuteronomy 32:21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

Paul proves to us that this is speaking about the days of the Church, and not far off in our future, when he quotes these words and says they are already fulfilled.

Romans 11:11-14 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

Paul is showing us that all of Deuteronomy is fulfilled.

The blessings that were promised are spiritual blessings of the rain of doctrine and Spirit.
The curses would come upon Israel because they rejected Christ.

Deuteronomy 32:28-29 For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

Paul also referred to this state of ignorance in Israel.

Romans 10:2-3 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Notice that all the references in these words under Law are referred to in the New Testament.

What is the knowledge that God is concerned with?

Isaiah 28:9-12 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

This speaks of the Holy Ghost!

Deuteronomy 30:1-3 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

So many propose that this is still yet in our future.

They say that Israel is destined to return to their land in Palestine.
Everyone is watching the Middle East.
But if we keep reading, we find it was already fulfilled.
It all points to Jesus.

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

What is this particular commandment that would accomplish all of this?

It would bring the blessings and the rain.
Paul refers to this very scripture as being fulfilled!

Romans 10:6-8 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Paul said that the commandment, or the word which Moses referred to, was the word of faith that the Apostles preached!

This means that the commandment that God required them to obey that He might bless the people with rain and return them from captivity to gather them into the land of Promise!
And people have been putting this ahead into our future!

Let us look to see what the Promised Land really is, according to this and other scriptures.

Isaiah 49:1-3 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Who is this child who was called Israel?

Isaiah 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

He is the light to the gentiles!

He is salvation to the ends of the earth.

Acts 13:46-47

Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth

Paul said that this was fulfilled in the preaching of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 49:8-9 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

Paul put this in his day as being fulfilled also.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

The Apostles say this referred to their day.

And it referred to the Lord being "Israel".
Let us return to Isaiah 49.

Isaiah 49:10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

Revelation refers to those days in symbolic speech as follows.

Revelation 7:15-17

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes

Back to Isaiah.

Isaiah 49:18-22 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

Notice we read that the people would gather to Jesus!

In these scriptures we see reference to the Gentiles coming in after the Jews rejected Him

Jesus is the Promised Land!

The Middle East holds no place in God's plans for the future.

Genesis 49:10 The sceptre 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.

God will not gather nor has gathered Israel to the Middle East.

He only said the He would do so if they hearkened to His word.
And the Jews in Palestine have not hearkened to God's Word.
Jesus is the Promised Land!
All the promises about a regathering to a land continue to read about New Testament details.

John 12:32-33 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.

It all points back to Christ and the cross.