A LOOK AT THE SERPENT IN THE WILDERNESS

And yet no one has ever gone up to heaven, but there is One Who has come down from heaven—the Son of Man [Himself], Who is (dwells, has His home) in heaven.  

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must [so it is necessary that] the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], [Num. 21:9]  

In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever!

This is a strange statement for Jesus to say, right in the middle of John 3 where Jesus says ‘For God so loved the world’ and so on. First, He tells us that He ‘Must’be lifted up in a way that this story in Num. 21:19 illustrates.

This passage in Numbers is a type and shadow of what the coming Christ must do. He must do it so that you and I, and  everyone else, who find themselves able to believe will live- in eternity. 

Let’s look at the passage in Numbers. 22 starting at verse 4-

4 And they journeyed from Mount Horab by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, and the people became impatient (depressed, much discouraged), because [of the trials] of the way.
 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and we loathe this light (contemptible, unsubstantial) manna.

 Then the Lord sent fiery (burning) serpents among the people; and they bit the people, and many Israelites died. And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that He may take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people.

And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], he lived.

This is very simple.  The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people. The serpent is always a type of sin. It was sin that bit the people. Sin always leads to spiritual death. So it is our condition before we are born again. We were dead in our trespasses and sins.

Now, the Lord said, take a bronze pole and serpent of bronze (bronze is always judgement) on top of the pole and ‘lift it up.’ and as many as shall see the bronze serpent and ‘beholds’ (original word- means To see and understand) it shall live.

A Serpent made of judgement (Bronze) is lifted up. The very thing that is killing them is lifted up in judgement!

What does all of this have to do with Jesus?

2Cor 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

He became sin itself! He became the very thing that was killing us!

This is what caused Jesus to sweat blood in the garden. He didn’t fear the nails, or the beatings. He despised the cross because He knew that (like the passage in Numbers) He must become sin itself and be lifted up for all to see-and the Father would have to leave Him. Unbearable! But in incredible faith He did it. 

Have you seen and understood what happened on that cross for you, over two thousand years ago?

 

Peace, good will and safety to all-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN CHRIST

Let’s begin by looking at a scripture out of the book of Hebrews :

He did take hold of [the fallen] descendants of Abraham [to reach out to them a helping and delivering hand]. So it is evident that it was essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, in order that He might become a merciful (sympathetic) and faithful High Priest in the things related to God

Especially, I want us to consider this statement:

‘it was essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, ‘

So then, if He was made exactly like His brethren (that’s us!)- if we look at Him correctly- we will see ourselves.

Consider this:

‘The Lord is a Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom’ 2Corth 3:17

Christ is the ‘Word’ that was with God and was with God in the beginning. Nothing was created yet. No matter, no energy, no universe. Nothing existed at this point. Nothing with with to from a physical body with. The ‘Word’ that was God and was with God was Spirit. He was a person! In the beginning God created all things through this- and His- ‘Word’. Later this ‘Word’ would put on flesh and be created exactly like us. We also are a spirit and like Him we put on the flesh that like Him was formed in our mothers womb. He put on the flesh that was formed in Mary’s, His mother’s womb.When the ‘Word” was in the flesh His name was Jesus Christ. When He speaks, the ‘Word’ speaks. Christ and the Word are the same. See John 1:1 in the amp. Bible. Jesus Christ really means,  Jesus who is the Christ or Word.

When reading or considering scripture it will help us greatly to recall -that being born-again- we are a freed spirit. Moreover, the spirit that we  are (that is now immersed into the Spirit that is Christ) has it’s life in your present body of flesh.

‘For we have this treasure (Christ) in earthen vessels, that the power might be of God and not man’.

This then would describe Jesus (who was the Word- a Spirit) who lived in a body of flesh which was built by His mother Mary, as we are a spirit living in a fleshly body built by our mother.

The Spirit of Christ can be likened to an endless ocean whereas our spirit ilike a little glass of water. Our little ‘glass of water’ has been poured out into this ocean. Thus, we are now ‘In Christ’

 

We shalaitsee

later