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Conversation #022
Answer to Confusion
Dear Truth Seeker,
You wrote....
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Hello Ron,
Is Satan the author of confusion? Howbout' this. . . . . . Exodus 33:11, 20 (these are key, but there's more) . . . . . .
God's omniscient right, He's everywhere right? What's he doin’ landing in front of a tent (people seeing this), to talk to an x-Egyptian, on a tiny little planet, in a tiny little galaxy? If he's everywhere. . . then why does he have to descend on top of a mountain? Why does he HAVE to kill whoever sees him? If he's omnipotent why doesn’t he just think them away?
He hardened Pharaoh’s heart. He even said he would!
But here's the clincher, he spoke to Moses "FACE TO FACE" (and i've checked the Hebrew in the interlinear) , yet "NO MAN MAY SEE HIS FACE AND YET LIVE! ? ! " Not only does it say "face to face", but it adds like we do our fellow man!
Hmmnnnnnn. . . . . God spoke to Moses as we speak to each other face to face yet no one can see his face and live! ? ! And what's GOD doin’ with a face if he's omniscient? This is a discrepancy! As bright as day.
Someone tried to explain to me that he was hidden behind a rock at the time! ? ! Well that's wrong cuz it clearly states that he appeared in front of the TENT!
And who's running the universe if "he's" here?
Oh yeah, shouldn't Moses have died?
There also are hieroglyphic writings that when deciphered rendered very similar comparisons to the Pentateuch. Moses did live in Egypt for 40 years and AS A HIGH PRIEST! ! He was Egyptian. I'm American and i'm totally like the people and i'm nowhere near 40, nor am i the Vice-President!
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Let me answer these first.
You are absolutely right when you say that no man or woman has ever seen God. The Scripture is accurate and cannot be broken.
So who did Moses see and talk with?
The Son of God, for it was He who has appeared throughout the Old Testament, not just to Moses but many others too. No human has seen God the Father at any time, but many have seen God the Son for He has been in charge of this world since its inception and rebellion.
Colossians 1:13-16
[God the Father] delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image [copy] of the invisible God [the Father], the Firstborn [Head] of every creature: for by Him [the Son] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: ALL THINGS WERE CREATED BY HIM [the Son], and for Him [the Father].
Hebrews 1:1-3
God [the Father], who at sundry [various] times and in divers [different] manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, BY WHOM ALSO HE MADE THE WORLDS;
Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image [copy] of His person [God the Father has a body and a face], and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high [they sit together on their thrones]...
Matthew 17:5
While he [Peter] yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; HEAR YOU HIM."
It was Jesus the Creator who spoke the Ten Commandments at Sinai; it was He who ate and drank the ceremonial meal with Moses and the seventy on the side of the mountain afterwards. Exodus 24:9-11. At first He was only disguised in a human body - e.g. the time He had lunch and a walk with Abraham. Genesis 18:1-33. At that time He was known as the LORD (God) because as the Son of God He has the same family name. See Genesis 2:4.
"God" is the title we give to the Originator of our universe, but Jesus told us to call Him "Father", for that title more clearly shows us His position in regard to us. He explained His own situation by using our word "Son". We should have no doubt as to the family connection, nor His position in that family. He’s greater than us, but less than His Father.
Angels have also appeared as humans when it has been necessary for them to talk with men and women. Luke 1:5-11. All the people from the sinless universe need to be "veiled" to us because of their brightness of life. Even Moses had to put a veil over his face when he returned to the camp after speaking with the Son of God.
Exodus 34:29-35
And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist [knew] not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him. And Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him: and Moses talked with them. And afterward all the children of Israel came near: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.
But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spoke to the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.
When Jesus appeared to Daniel in only a part of His glory Daniel fainted, and the same happened when He spoke to John the revelator. Daniel 10:7-9; Revelation 1:17. Paul went blind under the same circumstances. Acts 9:3-9.
Jesus doesn’t HAVE to kill any one. The conditions of entry to Sinai were there to PROTECT the people. (We are warned not to look at the sun during an eclipse for the same reason.) At Sinai Jesus had to appear in some portion of His glory to impress the people that He meant what He said about following Him without turning back. It was so impressive that even Moses shook with terror. Hebrews 12:21.
However, when the Son of God came to earth to die at Calvary He really and truly took on a human body because He was born into it, and has kept it ever since. He was "given" to us and became one of us, Jesus the Saviour, the Son of man. Hebrews 10:5.
Even though He is God AND Man He can continue to run the universe when He is not in heaven because He does this from His mind. He does not need to be present at a "control box". He is continually "upholding all things by the word of His power". Hebrews 1:3.
The time Moses was hidden in a cleft of the rock with his face covered was when he asked to see the glory of his Saviour. (When the first atomic bomb blasts were set off they were experienced behind concrete walls and with blindfolds over the eyes of the observers and yet they still saw the flash of light!) So with Jesus and Moses. Even after all the safety conditions, Moses still saw him, but as he was told at the time, the character (goodness, Exodus 34:5-7) of his Maker was more important than the physical sight. Even then, with all the precautions, he could not have survived the full impact of it, so all he saw was the retreating form of the Son of God.
John, Peter and James saw something similar on the Mount of Transfiguration although it was nowhere near as bright. Matthew 17:1-4.
Exodus 33:18-23
And he [Moses] said, "I beseech You, show me Your glory."
And He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."
And He said, "You can not see My face [in My glory]: for there shall no man see me [in that state], and live." And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a clift of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by: and I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen."
Yet at other times Moses spoke face to face with Jesus. Then He was either in a cloud of smoke, or had His face covered.
Exodus 33:8-11
And it came to pass, when Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the CLOUDY PILLAR descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. And the LORD spoke to Moses face to face [from the cloud], as a man speaks to his friend.
Now, looking at Moses.
He was the son of two Hebrews, both of the tribe of Levi which eventually became the priests of God. He was never an Egyptian priest, for although he was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, the officials of Egypt hated him as a foreigner of a different religion. (There was a death decree remember?) He was trained as a general in the army (a secular job) which is what a Pharaoh’s grandson was expected to do. But as soon as he came of age he gave up his right to the Egyptian throne as Pharaoh’s grandson and followed God’s way openly. Hebrews 11:23-27.
He then continued as a witness for God until he killed the Egyptian in a mistaken understanding of God’s way and had to leave the country.
Exodus 2:1-10
And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months [because of the Egyptian death decree].
And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark [a boat/box] of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags [bulrushes] by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit [see] what would be done to him.
And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call to you a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?" And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her [adopted] son. And she called his name "Moses" [Drawn out]: and she said, "Because I drew him out of the water."
It was Moses’ mother and father who brought him up and trained him in the ways of the God of the Hebrews before he was handed over to the Egyptian princess.
As for the hieroglyphics, the Ten Commandments were known right from the Garden of Eden for they are simply the rules of heaven’s society set out in earthly form. Every nation on earth has them in some form or another to control human behaviour. Normally they are much longer and complicated, for only God has the understanding to make them into the ten simple statements which He gave to the Hebrews.
Now for hardening pharaoh’s heart. We just need to read two texts to see how this was done.
Exodus 7:3-4
[Jesus said] And I WILL HARDEN PHARAOH'S HEART, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken to you, that I may lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth My armies, and My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
Exodus 8:15-32
But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, HE HARDENED HIS HEART, and hearkened not to them; as the LORD had said.... And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. AND PHARAOH HARDENED HIS HEART AT THIS TIME ALSO, neither would he let the people go.
By offering pharaoh the chance to repent Jesus put him into the position where he either had to accept, or rebel and harden his own heart. So Jesus accepts the blame for the result, but He did not impose that condition on a poor human!
I’ll be back for the other questions later, till then,
Regards,
Ron
oooOooo
To the reader,
If there is anything not clear to you as you read my answer, please feel free to mail me and ask about it. I promise not to send you anything but a direct answer to your question. I won't argue about it, just share with you what I have seen.
I won't ask you to join a new church or offshoot either!
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