[WMSCOG] BRONZE SNAKE AND CROSS

The bible says that Jesus came as spiritual Moses to teach Israelites the Laws of God, just as Moses was sent to teach the Israelites the laws of God.

Acts 3:20   20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’

 
Cross Worship.jpg
Is a cross an object of worship?
 
Through this we can see that Jesus came as prophet like Moses to fulfill the work of God. Just as Moses were leading God’s people out of the land of slavery, Jesus was sent by God to set his people free from the slavery of sin and death. The life and work of Moses was given to us to teach us the work of Jesus. There is a wonderful example taught by Jesus himself.
 

John 3:14   Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Jesus is comparing his crucifixion to the bronze snake Moses lifted up in the desert. What kind of relationship is there between the two events? To understand this we must first look at the work of Moses and then the work of Jesus. In the desert because of the lack of food and water, people started to complain and grumble, causing the wrath of God, who sent deadly snakes to kill grumblers.
 

Numbers 21:6       Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

When people repented of their sins, God relented and gave them salvation.
 

Numbers 21:8    The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

God could have done many different things to save them. He could have simply removed all the snakes from them, or he could have given different objects or ways to save them such as say, “Forgive me,” loudly, or jump three times, or stand up on your head… But rather God commanded Moses to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. And when a person is bitten by a snake he could look at the snake and live. Then what was it that could give them life in this story? A pole, a bronze snake, jumping, shouting, standing on your head…? No. The promise of God given to the bronze snake: “Anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”
 
But foolishly Israelites started to worship the bronze snake, thinking it has certain power to heal people for about 700 years until the time of King Hezekiah.
 

2 Kings 18:3    He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)

 
Finally, 700 years later King Hezekiah realized that it is just an idol and broke the bronze snake into pieces calling it Nehushtan or a piece of bronze. This story of the bronze snake in the time of Moses was working as prophecy to be fulfilled by the work of Jesus. Jesus is comparing his death on the cross to the bronze snake. Moses made the bronze snake to give people life, but it was not the bronze snake itself that could give them life, rather, it was the words of God contained in the bronze snake. The bronze snake was just a tool chosen by God at that moment to give them life. But Israelites started to depend on the bronze snake for their life, rather than the words or commands of God which could truly give them life.
 
Cross Shape
Making a cross is fun!?
 
It was the same with the cross. Jesus gave precious promises of God for the eternal life to his people. To fulfill the promise he must sacrifice himself.
 

Hebrews 9:16   In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.

For the life of his people he made a will or covenant on the night of Passover, promising them the forgiveness of sins and eternal life and to fulfill the will the one who made the will must die. And to fulfill his promise, Jesus chose the crucifixion as tool. Here what is important for the salvation is to keep the words of God in the Passover, not the cross which was only a piece of wood used as tool to complete the promise. But what did people started to do? They started to worship the cross just as Israelites started to worship the bronze snake. As Hezekiah broke the bronze snake into pieces, we must now get rid of the cross. And to the obedience to the words of God, we must keep the Passover of the new covenant which gives us the salvation.
 
We must be like King Hezekiah who broke into pieces the bronze snake, which was pleasing in the eyes of God. How much God would feel pleased when we get rid of cross from us which is considered as detestable things in the eyes of God. These are the true teachings of Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother.