June 9
What’s even more astounding it to try to wrap our minds around the fact that 3,000 years is barely a snap for our God.
““I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.””
Revelation 1:8 NLT
I’ve always found it fascinating that in this verse, the present is the first time mentioned. Usually, people say “was, is and to come”—in chronological order. But I think our God wants us to understand even though these marvelous historical sites we visit, that He is most concerned with our present. He was before Petra, but most importantly, He is with us this very moment.
When we visited Mt Nebo, it was almost a surreal moment for me. To stand a look over the land as Moses did about 5,000 years ago made the hair stand up on my arms. I had trouble with words. I looked from every direction and just pictured the 120 year old guy.
“Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him the whole land, from Gilead as far as Dan; all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea; the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho—the city of palms—as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.””
Deuteronomy 34:1-4 NLT
Then, I saw the metal sculpture. The cross with the snake just took my breath. It wasn’t a glorious piece of art or anything, but what it symbolized just nearly brought me to my knees.
“Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!”
Numbers 21:8-9 NLT
Then, about 1500 years or so later, Jesus refers to it when He is speaking to Nicodemus one night.
“Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:10-17 NLT
How great is our God? And blessed are we to stand on the spots and feel the air and know this is the very place Jesus chose to live His life in human form. From Magnala seeing Peter’s mother house and the time in the temple to Kursi and seeing the caves to Mt Carmel to the Jordan River to the Sea of Galilee. As Randy said “This place is the bedrock of our faith!”
Others that have made this journey have told me it was life changing and it really is. The one theme that has reverberated through my mind from day one is “It really happened—it ALL really DID happen!! And once again, I’ve been forever changed.
““Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”...So shall it be! Amen.”
Revelation 1:7 NIV
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