Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke 9:28-31.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלוהים) says:
Moses and Elijah were both prophets and leaders. My Son told you that Moses wrote about Him, and Moses did. The Passover lamb, the burnt, grain, peace, sin, and guilt offerings of the Tabernacle, the golden lampstand, the bread of the presence, the High Priest, and the ark of the covenant, were all shadows of the good things to come in substance in My Son. But Moses also prophesied of Jesus Himself.
“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.’ The LORD said to me, ‘They have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.” Deuteronomy 18:15-19.
Moses, though reluctant at first, became a strong leader and My loyal and faithful right hand man. He was awed at My glory and longed to see My face. He loved My Word and taught My people to keep it always before their eyes, in their eyes, and in their mouths. He was zealous for My honor and no one else mattered to Him as I did. He interceded for his people and stood in the gap for them when they sinned against Me. No man has ever performed greater signs and wonders than I did through and with Moses. He devastated a nation with his shepherds staff, parted the Red Sea, and struck water out of dry, flinty rocks. He never doubted anything I told him but was ready to perform it.
Elijah too was most zealous for My honor and for bringing My people back to Me from idols. He had no toleration for evil. He listened to Me and did My Word. His heart was set on Me more than any other in his nation. I performed wonders through and with him that no one has done since.
Yet, for both Moses and Elijah I had to raise up a successor to finish the work of their assignment that they did not complete. And these successors both began by serving them.
Why did they not complete their assignments when they were so intimate with Me and so zealous in speaking My Words and doing My works before the people? Jesus, Peter, and Paul all spoke of that they had completed and finished their assignments, but Moses and Elijah did not. Why is that?
And yet you know that Moses and Elijah are very close to Me and were with Me, conversing with Jesus, on the mount of transfiguration.
Today I would like to teach you lessons from Moses and Elijah, and as My prophets of today I think you would like to know what kept them from reaching the finish line for I want each of you to finish your course, run your race, and cross over the finish line into My everlasting arms full of fruitful years, good deeds prepared in advance completed, and the joy of a job well done and a life wisely invested.
And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” Revelation 14:13.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10.
What do you learn from the lives of Moses and Elijah? Never give up, press in at the opportune time, step aside to hear from Me, never listen to the adversaries and back down, do not let the unbelievers pull you into arguments, name calling, discouragement or reactions of anger. In other words, let the people turn to you but do not turn to them and respond in kind.
Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you, before Me you will stand; and if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them. Then I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; and though they fight against you, they will not prevail over you; for I am with you to save you and deliver you,” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 15:19-20.
But I can sum up in one sentence what you need to learn from them, the reason they did not finish their race and why I had to take them up early:
DO NOT LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR JOY FOR IT IS YOUR ANOINTING.
Moses let the grumbling, accusing, fault-finding, mean-spirited, ungrateful, unfaithful people steal his joy, his peace, and his destiny for he responded to them in kind and totally left Me out of the conversation. He disqualified himself as a leader by unrestrained anger in response to their unfounded accusations, derogatory name calling, and lifting himself above them as their source of supply. He disobeyed and did not consecrate Me before the people to show them My Ways of lovingkindness and truth.
Elijah finally let the constant attacks and run-ins with Ahab and Jezebel pull him down into depression, fear, and despair just when he had started the greatest revival that ever hit Israel and I had opened a door of utterance to him. Instead he deserted his calling and asked to die. He gave up just when it was time to go forward. He told himself it was too much and he could take no more just when he had the victory on the horizon and had done a work that has never been repeated.
Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Never give in to fear, anger, or discouragement that turns to despair. Do not allow the devil to hijack your mind with the unclean spirits of fear, doubt, depression, anger, or pride, for it will steal your joy and that is the power of your anointing.
Your joy, that is, My joy in you, which is a fruit of My love in your heart, is your strength and song, do not stop singing just because those around you are not singing with you. Do not give up your joy because those around you have no joy and are accusing you of vile behavior. Jesus endured the insults and false accusations against Him for the joy that lay before Him. Hebrews 12:2.
I tell you to make melody in YOUR heart and to speak to yourself in songs, hymns and Spirit-sent songs so that you get filled with the Holy Spirit, for therein lies the wisdom and the joy that you need to go forward to your high calling in Christ. The flow of My Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
“In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you. If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you. Isaiah 54:14-15.
You will go out with joy and be led fourth with peace. Isaiah 55:12.
My prophet Isaiah spoke of this as well, for despite all his warnings the people would not listen to him, give up their idols, and return to Me. He could have given up, seeing his preaching as reaching deaf ears.
But I said, “I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God.” Isaiah 49:4.
He was right not to give up for His reward was with Me, for what he did not know was that he was writing for you so you too could believe in Jesus by the prophesies of Isaiah. If you recall, My Son read out His mission statement of His anointing from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet and told the astonished people that He was the fulfillment of that passage. And that also was how I communicated to Joseph that Mary was the mother of the Messiah by the passage concerning such in the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. In fact, Jesus, as well as John the Baptist, found their assignments already set out in the prophecies of Isaiah and My Son quoted Isaiah more than any other prophet.
Why did Moses and Elijah give in to the pressure of their peers and Jesus, Peter, and Paul did not? Simple. By whom they surrounded themselves with as insulation from the demeaning crowd. Jesus chose 12 disciples to be with Him who were like minded and were His core group with whom He shared his heart. Jesus did not mingle freely with unbelievers or entrust himself to them. He did not let them pull Him down. He knew well what was in men’s hearts.
The same was true of Peter and Paul, around them I formed the early church community who were of one mind and one heart and great grace with upon them all. It matters who you let into your heart. They never went alone. Jesus instructed his followers to go forth two by two.
Daniel remained aloof from unbelievers and even though he was a prisoner of war he became a government official. How did he stay so strong? Prayer and prophecy, which edifies you, but also because he formed a close-knit community with his fellow believers from Judah, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, better known to you by the names given them in Babylon of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. Together they refused to eat anything that did not comply with My dietary laws and kept themselves apart as consecrated to Me. Together they prayed for the interpretation of the Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, which was required to save their lives, and I answered, and together they kept their customs of prayer and praise unto Me in their exile. And the consequence? They had no fear and they never became embittered at those who tried, out of jealousy, to destroy them. They would even go into fiery furnaces and lions’ dens with no fear. Nothing seemed to be able to get through their shield of loyal faith. It is important who you fellowship with and with whom you open your heart.
Samson had the anointing upon him from his mother’s womb, but he gave his heart completely to Deliah as an act of his lust and flesh, who was in league with his enemy and was adverse to Me, and My Spirit, who was upon him but not in him, left him and he was not even aware the anointing had departed because he had become so insensitive to spiritual things but was living only in the flesh. But when he turned his heart back to Me, the anointing returned. My gifts and My call upon you are irrevocable. They may lie dormant because of your disobedience or wrong associations, but they are still there to fan back into flame again.
And think of Elijah. He was most of the time alone until I instructed him to anoint Elisha. He thought there was no one with him against the prophets of Baal, but I told him he was wrong.
Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” 1 Kings 19:9-10.
And what did I tell him? There were 7,000 believers in the northern kingdom of Israel who had not worshipped Baal. He was not alone.
I then gave him three assignments, one of which was to anoint Elisha as his successor. He did that but left Elisha to do the remaining two. He persuaded Me to take him up to Myself in the fiery chariot and whirlwind. And I gave a double portion of his anointing to Elisha so he could do the works of Elijah and greater in his place and stead.
Moses asked to stay on earth longer and to go into the beautiful promised land and witness My great power working the wonders he had seen that brought nation out of Egypt to go to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I did not change My mind. I knew he could no longer tolerate the people or be their leader, but he was My dear friend and the humblest man on earth. He had done what he needed to do. At that point he was 120 years old, the limit I had made at the time of the flood, although Abraham exceeded that because of his faith. But I answered his prayer. Do you recall his prayer?
“I also pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying, ‘O Lord (Adonai) LORD (Yahavah), You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? Let me, I pray, cross over and see that good land that is beyond the Jordan, the holy mountain and Lebanon.’ But the LORD passed over that with me on your account, and would not listen to me; and the LORD said to me, ‘Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes to the west and north and south and east, and see it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. But charge Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him, for he shall go across at the head of this people, and he will give them as an inheritance the land which you will see.’” Deuteronomy 3:23-28.
You will notice I did not say “no”. Do you recall it was Moses who first wrote that to Me a thousand years are as a day and a day as a thousand years? Psalm 90:4. A little over one thousand five hundred years later Moses and Elijah were standing on that Holy Mountain at the border of Lebanon. The beautiful high mountain where Jesus was transfigured and spoke of His coming passion. A day and a half was all it took for his prayer to be answered.
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9.
And Moses wrote about Jesus. John 5:46.
I love you. Never let anyone steal your joy. Time is too short for you to permit that. You must get your assignment done, the good deeds that follow you into eternity. I have given you a joy no one can take from you. Resurrection Joy. The anointing that is in you and with you forever.
For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night. Psalm 90:4.