Twenty-One Points of Likeness Between Moses and Jesus Christ

The religion of Islam claims “that Jesus Christ is not the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:18.” Instead, they claim that, “this prophecy refers to the Prophet Mohammed and not to Jesus, because Mohammed is more like Moses than Jesus” (www.islam-guide.com).

In view of the absurd claim that Mohammed is more like Moses than Jesus, please note the following 21 points of likeness between Moses and Jesus Christ:

1. Both were Israelites, not Ishmaelites (Exodus 1:1-7; 2:1-10; Matthew 1:1-17).
2. Both were born at a time when national leaders were evil (Exodus 1:8-22; Acts 7:17- 19; Matthew 2:1-18).
3. Both escaped decrees of death when babies (Exodus 1:22; 2:1-10; Acts 7:20-21; Matthew 2:1-18).
4. Both were forced to flee the countries wherein they were born and to return later (Exodus 2:11-22; Acts 7:23-29; Matthew 2:12-23).
5. Both refused to become rulers of powerful earthly kingdoms (Exodus 2:11-22; Hebrews 11:24-27; Matthew 4:8-11).
6. Both forsook riches (Hebrews 11:24-27; II Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:5-8).
7. Both were sent by God to be deliverers (Exodus 3:7-10; Acts 7:34-35; Romans 11:26).
8. Both possessed great knowledge and wisdom (Acts 7:22; John 2:24-25; Colossians 2:3).
9. Both men were meek (Numbers 12:3; Matthew 11:28-30).
10. Both delivered laws from God (Exodus 31:18; Matthew 5- 7; John. 1:17; Galatians 6:2).
11. Both authenticated their missions and messages with miracles (Exodus 4:1-9, 29-31; Acts 7:36; John 20:30; Acts 2:22).
12. Both had chosen men as their spokesmen (Exodus 4:10- 16; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20).
13. Both mediated on behalf of the people (John 1:17; Galatians 3:19; I Timothy 2:5).
14. Both supplied bread for the people (Exodus 16:15; John 6:31-33, 48).
15. Both had a baptism which provided a transition from bondage to freedom (Exodus 14:19-21; I Corinthians 10:1- 11; Romans 6:1-18; Galatians 3:27-29).
16. Both had to be believed (Exodus 4:1-9, 29-31; Hebrews 11:29; Psalms 106:10; Mark 16:16; John 3:16, 36; 8:21, 24, 46-47).
17. Both required people to turn from following others to following them (Exodus 14:1-31; Psalms 106:10; Luke 13:3, 5; 24:47; Acts 3:19; 17:30).
18. Both required people by faith to be baptized (Exodus 14:15-31; Hebrews 11:29; I Corinthians 10:1-11; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 8:37; Galatians 3:26-27).
19. Both led people to the promised rest (Hebrews 3:1–4:16; Revelation 14:13, 21-22).
20. Both were specially tended by God on the event of their deaths (Deuteronomy 34:5-6; Luke 23:46; Acts 2:22-36).
21. Both unite in song praising the mighty works of God (Exodus 15:1-21; Revelation 15:3).

David B. Watson

Four Brief Rules for Bible Study

1. Read it Through — Read a passage of Scripture, look up the meaning of words that are unfamiliar, search for other verses which contain similar key words.

2. Write it Down — Take a sheet of notebook paper and write the book, chapter, and verse numbers at the top, then make a list of those words you looked up or write out phrases you would like to study further. Write down your notes from your study next to the words or phrases. Keep your notes in a notebook or folder and you will eventually have a nice set of study notes that you will go back to with further study to add to them.

3. Live it Out — Put the principles you are learning from your study into practice.

4. Pass it On — Tell others about what you have learned. Ask them what their ideas are about some of the words and phrases you have been studying. This is a great way to increase your own understanding.

Author Unknown

Some Things I Don’t Understand

I don’t understand how men who were once faithful Gospel preachers can preach a perverted Gospel based on fantasy instead of fact (II Timothy 4:2; Galatians 1:6-9).

I don’t understand why congregations put up with or fellowship those preachers who have left the faith (I John 1:6-10; II John 9-11).

I don’t understand how anyone can take a TV comedy and call it a good tool for preaching and teaching the Word (Acts 20:7; IITimothy 4:1-8).

I don’t understand how anyone can think that instrumental music in worship is any prettier than singing and making melody in our heart (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).

I don’t understand how anyone can think that God’s Word changes just because of their or a family member’s situation in life(Matthew 19:3-9; 5:32).

I don’t understand how anyone can believe that the Spirit works directly on the heart of some unless they believe that God is a respecter of persons (Proverbs 24:23; John 7:24).

I don’t understand why brethren will continue to forsake the assembly when they know that if they do there will be no more sacrifice for their sin (Hebrews 10:25-26).

I don’t understand why faithful preachers of the Gospel are ridiculed, abused, and even fired for doing what God has instructed them to do (I Corinthians 1:23; II Timothy 4:2).

I don’t understand how anyone can love the things of this world and expect to be loved by the Father (I John 2:15-17).

I don’t understand how God could love such a one as I and willing give up His Son to die as a sacrifice for me (John 3:16;Romans 5:8).

I don’t understand pain, suffering, and death, but I do know that one day there will not be any (Revelation 21:3).

These a just a few of the things that I don’t understand but I do know that if I endure to the end, living that faithful Christian life,God the Father will explain it all to me on that Day!

Danny Box

Humility

Our Savior was born in humble surroundings, among the cattle, but He was the Savior of the world, and now the world must hear Him and obey Him, who once lay in a stable.

The Bible teaches us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and He will exalt us. I hope the day will come when we can possess the spirit of humility that every child of God must have in order to be a successful worker in the kingdom of our God.

Meekness and humility are the elements we need to fertilize our hearts, so the Word of God can grow in our hearts, and bring forth fruit to the glory and honor of our Lord.

Moses, who was reared in the king’s palace, humbled himself. Desiring to please God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, by being humble, he was permitted to lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. As long as he was humble and meek, God was pleased and blessed all of his work, but when he became exalted, he trusted in himself and struck the rock. This was because he lost control of himself and lost that meek and humble spirit, and for this cause he missed the Promised Land.

Many preachers are failing today, and hindering the cause of Christ because they do not have the spirit of humility and meekness. Our Lord remained meek and humble until He finished His work on earth, and we must remain meek and humble until we complete our labors on earth. We should hunger and thirst after the spirit of humility, so we will be a living example to the world, and be able to lead many to Christ, and God’s kingdom will spread and Jesus be lifted up until to God be all praise, honor,and glory.

Marshall Keeble

End-Time Backlash

We know that “of that day and hour” we are ignorant — and so forever shall remain right up until “that day and hour.” We are given no signs concerning its arrival, no warnings, no preindicators, nothing. He will come “as a thief in the night.” That true, could it be that many, out of sheer exhaustion from fighting against the error of the prevaricating prognosticators, have grown careless in their watching? The fact that we have no signs or indications whatsoever in no wise means that He will not come today!

We do not know when He comes, but we do know that He is coming. It may be today. It could be tomorrow. It could be next week. It could be twenty thousand-years in the future. We do not know. Our part is to live right. So living it will not matter when He comes.

Equally important with the date of His return, and equally unknown to us, is the date of our death. We do not know when our natural life will end. It could be today. It could be tomorrow. It could be next week. It most certainly will not wait twenty-thousand years! Still, we do not know when it will be. Now, if people ignorant of their own coming death will not live right, is it any surprise that something that may yet linger twenty-thousand years distant has failed to move them?

In the final analysis, it does not matter when He comes or when we die if we are living right. To be prepared for the one is to be prepared for the other. To live right is to die right and that is to be with Him in Heaven forever. Are you living right? May God bless you as you study and obey His Word.

Tim Smith​

Are you reading?

For more than fifty years, brother V. E. Howard has asked repeatedly in his radio sermons, “Are you listening?” I would like to rephrase that questions lightly and ask similarly, “Are you reading?” How many of you have ever read the Bible through from cover to cover? How often do you read the Bible? Do you bring your Bible to class with you on Sundays and Wednesday nights? Have you noticed how few have their Bibles in these classes? If you have ever taught such a class and have made an effort to get the students in your class to bring their Bibles, you know how difficult this task is. I wonder how many of us in the church today are reading our Bibles outside of the church buildings.

I wonder how many of us read the Bible even when we prepare for class and how much we rely on supplemental material instead of the Bible even when we teach. I want to ask you, “Are you reading (the Bible)?”

The Bible must be read diligently by every member of the church. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). Nothing threatens the church today more than Bible ignorance!

When we begin to rely on the writings of men (e.g. commentaries, workbooks, teacher’s guides, and other books) more than on the Book of God, we can easily be led astray. We need to be like the Bereans “in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Let us look at four reasons why we should read the Bible diligently.

1. It is our Owner’s Manual. Every product comes with an owner’s manual which tells how the product is to be used. God made man. God breathed into man and he became a living soul (Genesis. 2:7). God inspired (breathed into) a book, the Bible, which “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16-17). When we violate our owner’s manual (I John 3:4), we will cause problems for ourselves (Galatians6:7-8) and will ultimately be destroyed (Romans 6:23).

2. The Bible satisfies our hunger and provides for our spiritual health. Jesus stated, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). A person who gives attention to food for the body and neglects his soul has deprived himself of that which is most important. When a person is born again (John 3:5), he has a natural hunger for spiritual food (I Peter 2:2). The Bible promised that this natural hunger will be satisfied (Matthew 5:6). As Irving Jensen stated,“Hunger is a sign of health. When we neglect the Bible, it is because we are not hungry for the things of God. Not being hungry, we cannot, therefore, be healthy, spiritually” (Enjoy Your Bible, p. 13).

3. The Bible is needed because of our responsibility to teach. Parents are supposed to teach their children about God and His Word (Ephesians 6:4;Deuteronomy 6:7). We cannot teach that which we do not know. Further, the faithful have the responsibility of teaching others “who shall be able to teach others also” (II Timothy 2:2). In addition, we are responsible for teaching the lost what they must do to be saved (Matthew 28:19-20). To teach we must study the Bible ourselves (II Timothy 2:15).

4. The Bible is the Book by which we will be judged. We know in advance the standard of our judgment (John 12:48). Our eternal destiny will be determined by whether or not we have lived by that standard (II Corinthians5:10). We can prepare ourselves for judgment by reading the Bible and following its instructions.

The Bible is important to every child of God, “his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalms 1:2). The psalmist realized the importance of God’s Word. He wrote:

O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.… How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way (Psa.119:97-104).

Are you reading?

Lester Kamp​

JUST SOME LOGICAL ANSWERS

Because people are often looking for a way into something without having to do what is actually required for entrance, many have asked me the question: “Can you be taught wrong and baptized right [sic]?” In response, I have thought (and sometimes asked), “Can you be taught wrong and hear right?” “Can you be taught wrong and believe right?”

“Can you be taught wrong and repent right?” “Can you be taught wrong andconfess right?” If we cannot do these things, then what makes us think that we canbe taught wrong and baptized right? The bottom line is that God has clearly identified the purity of purpose for baptism. There is no reason for someone not to know what the purpose of baptism is when he is baptized, and if one is not following the purpose that God has clearly set forth, he is just getting wet. When we really get down to the truth of the matter, baptism is an act of faith. When a person is baptized, he must believe that baptism is for the remission of his sins — that is the act of faith. In Colossians 2:12, the Bible says:

Having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Without that act of faith involved in baptism, one is merely getting wet. If a person is just baptized “to obey God,” what is the act of faith? Where are you putting your trust when you are baptized “to obey God”? One might say, “I am putting my trust in God.” Great! So what are you putting your trust in God to do? When faith trusts God, it trusts God to do something (Romans 4:20–22; Hebrews 11). Baptism is not needed to show that one merely believes God; confession of one’s faith accomplishes that. Baptism is not just a restatement of one’s confession. It is much more than that. Notice what Peter says on the matter of baptism:

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Peter 3:21).

Please notice what this passage says: (1) Baptism saves us. (2) Baptism is not merely taking a bath. (3) Baptism is the response to God of a goodconscience. (4) Baptism saves by the resurrection of Jesus. Notice item number three. When we are baptized, we have to have a good conscience about it — we must do it with the right purpose in mind. The good conscience, taught properly, will understand that baptism is necessary for salvation and will motivate the individual to take the appropriate action. To say that one can be baptized correctly without understanding the purpose of baptism denies the role of the conscience in baptism.

There is nothing magical in the waters of baptism. The water is just water. So dunking a person under the water just for the sake of dunking someone under the water will not suffice. If the proper motive and purpose are not present, it is meaningless, just like all the other steps of salvation. If a person is not baptized for the proper motives and purpose, he is just getting wet. The Bible clearly teaches that the purpose of baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

We must therefore insure that those we teach clearly understand the purpose of baptism. One cannot feel safe just because he went through the motions, and we should not feel that this has somehow relieved us of the need for more thorough and detailed teaching before baptism. We do people no favors by putting them in the baptistery if they have no real appreciation for the fact that their sins are being forgiven by Jesus’ blood in that act (Acts 22:16).

Johnny Oxendine