Death of Moses
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their apostasy and its punishment. He saw them dispersed among the
heathen, the glory departed from Israel, her beautiful city in ruins, and
her people captives in strange lands. He saw them restored to the land
of their fathers, and at last brought under the dominion of Rome.
He was permitted to behold the first advent of our Saviour. He
saw Jesus as a babe in Bethlehem. He heard the voices of the angelic
host break forth in the glad song of praise to God and peace on earth.
He beheld in the heavens the star guiding the Wise Men of the east to
Jesus, and a great light flooded his mind as he recalled those prophetic
words, “There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall
rise out of Israel.”
Numbers 24:17
. He beheld Christ’s humble life in
Nazareth, His ministry of love and sympathy and healing, His rejection
by a proud, unbelieving nation. Amazed, he listened to their boastful
exaltation of the law of God, while they despised and rejected Him by
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whom the law was given. He saw Jesus upon Olivet as with weeping
He bade farewell to the city of His love.
As Moses beheld the final rejection of that people for whom he
had toiled, prayed, and sacrificed, for whom he had been willing that
his own name should be blotted from the book of life, as he listened
to those fearful words, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate”
(
Matthew 23:38
), his heart was wrung with anguish. Bitter tears fell
from his eyes in sympathy with the sorrow of the Son of God.
Moses Sees the Crucifixion and the Earth Made New
He followed the Saviour to Gethsemane and beheld the agony in
the garden, the betrayal, the mockery and scourging, the crucifixion.
Moses saw that as he had lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the
Son of God must be lifted up, that whosoever would believe on Him
“should not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:15
. Grief, indignation,
and horror filled the heart of Moses as he viewed the hypocrisy and
satanic hatred manifested by the Jewish nation against their Redeemer.
He heard Christ’s agonizing cry, “My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?”
Mark 15:34
. He saw Him lying in Joseph’s new tomb.
The darkness of hopeless despair seemed to enshroud the world. But
he looked again and beheld Him a conqueror ascending to heaven,
escorted by adoring angels and leading a multitude of captives.