Dear
Doves,
I need help decoding a Biblical pattern. Numbers are
not my strength and this one has a number in it. It
is based upon the passing of leadership from Moses to
Joshua and the entering into the Promised Land after the
death of Moses at the age of 120 years – found in
Deuteronomy 31:1-3.
“And Moses
went and spake these words unto all Israel. And he
said unto them, I am an hundred and
twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and
come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not
go over this Jordan. The LORD thy God, he will go
over before thee, and he will destroy
these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess
them: and Joshua, he shall go over
before thee, as the LORD hath said.”
Moses
to Joshua
Moses is
commonly equated with the Law and Jesus with Grace.
The Hebrew variant of the name Jesus is Yeshua or
Joshua. So we see the move from the Law to Grace in
the passing of leadership from Moses to Joshua.
Moses,
Jesus and the Rapture
We see
Moses and Jesus at the Transfiguration which is also a
picture of the Rapture (See Matthew 17:1-13. We see
Jesus high up in the clouds with the dead (i.e. Moses) and
the living (Peter, James and John) and hearing the voice
of God (which based upon other Scripture sounds like a
trumpet). Someday, we will be transfigured/changed when we
see Jesus in the clouds and hear the trumpet of God.
Entering
the Promised Land
According
to Hebrews 4, we have the hope of entering a place of rest
with God. “For unto us was the
gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word
preached did not profit them, not being mixed with
faith in them that heard it.
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as
he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter
into my rest: although the works were finished from the
foundation of the world.” This hope is compared to the
time when the Israelites entered the Promised Land.
We enter that rest through faith in the message of the
gospel.
Rapture
as a type of Exodus
If you
remember, when the Israelites left Egypt, it was done
quickly (no time to put yeast in the dough for bread),
both dead (bones of Joseph Exodus 13:19) and living were
included in this mass exodus. We too will be
raptured quickly (in the twinkling of an eye – I
Corinthians 15:52). It will also include the dead and the
living. And at that time Jesus (our Joshua) will
lead us out.
120
Years
Okay, this
is where I am stumped. If there is a pattern here,
then the 120 years (the age of Moses) must mean
something. But I don’t know if it is also an
increment of years or some other increment of time (or an
increment of something else) and how or when it applies in
the pattern. We see the number 120 in connection
with the time of Noah. In Genesis 6:3: “And the LORD
said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that
he also is flesh: yet his days shall be
an hundred and twenty years.” (According to tradition, it
took Noah 120 years to build the ark.) There were
120 people in the upper room in Acts 1:15. 120,000
people were saved from judgment in Jonah 4:11. And
according to an internet search, 120 can represent a
divinely appointed time of waiting.
I would
appreciate your comments and suggestions concerning this
number and how it may relate to this possible
pattern. It is always a thrill for me to discover
possible patterns in the Bible. It amazes me how God
can weave them throughout the Biblical text. Thank
you for your help and comments.
Maranatha,
– Lisa Taylor