Divine Intervention
Bible Matters 552: Divine Intervention.
From October of 2023 through March of 2024, God and I
witnessed to over fifty churches with the gospel book, “A Bride of
Christ,” with the doctrine established by the truth in God’s word out of
the mouth of two or three witnesses. I
prayed to God days before each visit.
At every visit, the pastor’s sermon subject matter reflected on one, two
and sometimes three chapters out of “A Bride of Christ.” God set up every witness.
God has made it clear that out of the mouth of two or
three witnesses you will know the truth. Twelve times in the bible God tells
you how to understand the truth in his word. (See Deuteronomy 17:6;
Deuteronomy 19:15; 1 Kings 21:10; 1 Kings 21:13; Matthew 18:16; John 8:17; 1
Corinthians 14:29; 2 Corinthians 13:1; Hebrews 6:18; Hebrews 10:28; 1 Timothy
5:19; Revelations 11:3).
Deuteronomy 17:6 – At the mouth of two witnesses, or
three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the
mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Deuteronomy 19:15 – One witness shall not rise up against
a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the
mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be
established.
Man shall not be put to death out of the mouth of one
witness.
Testimony:
I attended a church on Wednesday (3/27/24) before Easter. A week
earlier, this church had sent out a mailing that only they speak the truth in
God’s word! You be the judge!
God woke me up that Wednesday morning at 3 am and told me
to look up the names of the two witnesses that came back from the promised land
and told Moses that they could conquer the giants, Caleb and Joshua! I got up and looked up the names! I needed to
know the names of the witnesses for God’s witness!
The greeters at the door said it was a good night because
they were celebrating the last supper. I
ask if they could handle the truth in God’s word and gladly gave them copies of
“A Bride of Christ.” The
pastor saw a stranger in the church (me) and they pulled the bread and wine
from the table in front of the podium and he said they would celebrate the body
and blood on Easter! This was a closed
church and you must be baptized there to partake of the bread and the wine
service.
That night, the pastor said Moses did not go to the
promise land because of striking the rock and not speaking to the rock. (The Pastor must have gotten his verse from
Numbers!) God’s direction on obtaining
water for the Hebrews and the animals are in two books, Exodus and
Numbers! In Exodus, God tells Moses to smite
or strike the rock!
Exodus 17:5-6 – And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on
before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod,
wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will
stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock,
and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did
so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
In Numbers, God tells Moses to speak to the rock.
Numbers 20:8-11 – Take the rod, and gather thou the
assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock
before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring
forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and
their beasts drink. And Moses took the
rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock,
and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this
rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and
with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and
the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
Let’s look at the truth in God’s word from the witnesses. Twice, Moses gives testimony on striking the
rock for water. Once in Exodus and once
in Numbers. What is the truth? Who wrote Exodus and Numbers?
Traditionally, the Hebrew prophet Moses is credited with
writing the Book of Exodus, as part of the first five books of the Bible known
as the Torah or Pentateuch. However, modern biblical scholars widely agree that
it was a collaborative compilation of oral traditions and earlier texts written
centuries later.
Traditional View (Mosaic
Authorship): Biblical Evidence: The text
itself notes that God commanded Moses to record specific events and laws, such
as the Ten Commandments.
Historical and Religious
Tradition: Jewish and early Christian traditions attribute the writing to
Moses.
New Testament: The authorship is
referenced by Jesus and New Testament writers, who sometimes attribute the
books of the law directly to Moses.
Modern Scholarly Consensus-Multiple
Authors: Scholars generally agree that the Book of Exodus was written and
edited by multiple authors and groups over several centuries.
Timeline: Many experts place the
initial compilation around the 6th to 5th centuries BCE, likely during the
Babylonian exile.
Redaction: The text contains
third-person narration about Moses and reflects geographic and cultural details
that suggest later editing by scribes and priests.
The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Bible and
the Torah. Its authorship is divided between traditional religious views and
modern scholarly consensus.
Traditional View: Universal
Jewish and Christian traditions attribute the writing of Numbers to Moses. As
the central figure, he recorded the events, laws, and censuses as they happened
during the 40-year wilderness journey.
Scholarly View: Modern biblical
scholars and critical analysis suggest multiple authors and editors. They
propose that Moses provided the original core, but various groups (such as the
Priestly Source, Yahwist, and Elohist) added to and compiled the book over
centuries, finalizing it during or after the Babylonian Exile.
From these two verses, it is clear that Moses accredited
with writing Exodus and Numbers. Moses
gave consistent testimony in both books of striking the rock for water using
the rod. This is similar to the use of
the rod by Moses for the miracles performed by God to provide for the escape of
the Hebrews from Egypt. This is all we
know for sure about the truth from the witnesses. Whether God told Moses to strike the rock or
speak to the rock, is not clear. Since
Moses struck the rock, the instructions provided in Exodus are likely
true. You must understand the testimony
from the witnesses for truth.
For each of these I was able to give testimony after
service to the pastor on God’s will out of the mouth of two witnesses.
Moses did several things against God’s will
1. Married an Ethiopian
2. Complained with
the Hebrews about not having meat with the manna.
3. He didn’t
listen to God’s witnesses, Caleb and Joshua.
God gives us several opportunities to serve him. Moses failed multiple times. Striking the
rock wasn’t one of them. Moses had the
power of God in the rod that brought them out of Egypt. Moses knew how to use the rod. God wanted Moses to have great faith and use
the rod to take his people to the promised land. God wanted Moses to listen to the witnesses,
Caleb and Joshua. He wanted Moses to
stand at the river Jordan and take his people to the promised land. Moses failed.
God set that pastor up!
The pastor took the bait. He judged
“A Bride of Christ” and the doctrine of two or three witnesses from the
flesh.
Never compare or judge what you do against anybody
else. When you are running a race, you
don’t look back to see how anyone else is running! God will tell you how to run the race. Keep your eyes on glory land and look for
ways to love and serve the things of God!
God is looking for you to serve him. You hold up that rod and take as
many people to God’s promised land, as possible!
To God be the glory in all you do, Amen.