WHAT IS THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF CROSSING THE
HOW DOES IT
APPLY FOR US TODAY?
WHY HAVE WE NOT
LEARNT ABOUT THIS CROSSING?
WHAT IS THE
SPIRITUAL PARALLEL OF THE PHYSICAL CROSSING?
FOR THE AMAZING
NEW KNOWLEDGE ON THIS SUBJECT READ ON.
As we have seen
before, the exodus from
Once the
Israelites had crossed the
The Spirit of
promise or earnest of the spirit will enable us to
understand God’s word, grow in grace and knowledge,
overcome, believe God, and obey, have faith and love.
Just as God gave the Israelites all they needed
physically to journey to the shores of the
The wandering
through the wilderness for 40 years is a type of our
lives as we have the day to day trials and tests. God tests us
as long as He chooses to see if our heart is right and
if we believe Him and are prepared to obey Him.
Deu 8:2 And you
shall remember that the LORD your God led you all
the way these forty years in the wilderness, to
humble you and
test you, to know what was in
your heart, whether you would keep His commandments
or not.
We see quite
plainly by the above scripture why God had the
Israelites wander for 40 years. Now we must
apply that to us, once we are baptised we are to
wander for a period known only to God, for what
purpose? To humble
us, to prove us, to know what is in our heart, whether
we would keep His commandments or not.
This could take
many many years, this is up to God. During this time
of wandering, God fed the Israelites on manna, this is
a soft food and is a type of receiving the milk of the
word. The people were not ready for strong meat. So it
is with us, we have only had the milk until now. The
food of the Promised Land {eternal life} is available
once we accept the knowledge of eternal life and cross
the
Jos 5:12 Then the
manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the
produce of the land; and the children of Israel no
longer had manna, but they ate the food of the
The manna was
food from God just as the teachings, until this time,
have been from Mr. Armstrong, which have been inspired
by God.
Once we show God
that we want the Promised Land, that we want the Holy
Spirit and God is as sure as He can be, that we will
believe and obey Him, He brings us to the shores of
the
An extremely
important factor at this point is that we BELIEVE GOD,
this is stated over and over again through the
scriptures, and it is vitally important that we
believe God, if we want eternal life. Without belief
we cannot enter the Promised Land.
Notice what
happened when the spies were sent into the Promised
Land to spy it out...
Num 13:1 And the
LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 13:2 "Send men
to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to
the children of Israel; from each tribe of their
fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader
among them."
Num 13:3 So Moses
sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to
the command of the LORD, all of them men who were
heads of the children of
Num 13:4 Now these
were
their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the
son of Zaccur;
Num 13:5 from the
tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori;
Num 13:6 from the
tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;
Num 13:7 from the
tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;
Num 13:8 from the
tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun;
Num 13:9 from the
tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu;
Num 13:10 from the
tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;
Num 13:11 from the
tribe of Joseph, that is,
from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi;
Num 13:12 from the
tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli;
Num 13:13 from the
tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;
Num 13:14 from the
tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;
Num 13:15 from the
tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
Num 13:16 These are the
names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the
land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun,
Joshua.
Num 13:23 Then they
came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a
branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it
between two of them on a pole. They
also brought
some of the pomegranates and figs.
Num 13:25 And they
returned from spying out the land after forty days.
Num 13:26 Now they
departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all
the congregation of the children of Israel in the
Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back
word to them and to all the congregation, and showed
them the fruit of the land.
Num 13:27 Then they
told him, and said: "We went to the land where you
sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and
this is
its fruit.
Num 13:28 Nevertheless
the people who dwell in the land are
strong; the cities are
fortified and
very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak
there.
Num 13:29 The
Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the
Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in
the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea
and along the banks of the
Num 13:31 But the
men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able
to go up against the people, for they are
stronger than we."
Num 13:32 And they
gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land
which they had spied out, saying, "The land through
which we have gone as spies is a
land that devours its inhabitants, and all the
people whom we saw in it are men
of great
stature.
Num 13:33 There we
saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from
the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our
own sight, and so we were in their sight."
The
spies brought back a bad report of the Promised Land,
they did not want it.
We must be like Joshua and Caleb, and bring back a
good report of the Promised Land, they wanted to enter
the Promised Land, do we? Today if we want to
enter the Promised Land we must accept the new
knowledge which is being restored to the end time
church, this is the knowledge of eternal life.
We must accept it, love it, believe it, obey it, if we
want to have eternal life.
Notice the
wonderful attitude that Caleb and Joshua had in the
following verses.
Num 13:30 Then Caleb
quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us
go up at once and take possession, for we are well
able to overcome it."
Num 14:7 and they
spoke to all the congregation of the children of
Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy
out is
an exceedingly good land.
Num 14:8 If the
LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this
land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with
milk and honey.'
Num 14:9 Only do
not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of
the land, for they are our
bread; their protection has departed from them, and
the LORD is
with us. Do not fear them."
Num 14:30 Except for
Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of
Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I
swore I would make you dwell in.
Now notice the rebellious and stiffnecked attitude of
the Israelites, when confronted with the truth, they
couldn't handle it so they wanted to return to
Num 14:4 So they
said to one another, "Let us select a leader and
return to
This rejection of
the Promised Land has again happened to God’s Church,
as we have seen recently so many that once believed
and followed God, turned back and returned to
Are we going to have a bad report about the Promised
Land and return to
As mentioned
above, for us today it is the acceptance of the
knowledge of the truth which represents the Promised
Land, it is the knowledge of eternal life, we must
accept it or be like the Israelites and reject the
wonderful opportunity God is giving us.
Jos 14:7 I was
forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD
sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and
I brought back word to him as it was
in my heart.
Jos 14:8 Nevertheless
my brethren who went up with me made the heart of
the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my
God.
Jos 14:9 So Moses
swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land where
your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and
your children's forever, because you have wholly
followed the LORD my God.'
God is extremely
careful when He gives the Holy Spirit of power {or
truth} because once we
have it, there are severe penalties if we fall away
from the truth.
Heb 6:4 For it is
impossible for those who were once enlightened, and
have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become
partakers of the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:5 and have
tasted the good word of God and the powers of the
age to come,
Heb 6:6 if they
fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since
they crucify again for themselves the Son of God,
and put Him
to an open shame.
This scripture
tells us it is impossible to renew us again unto
repentance seeing we crucify to ourselves the Son of
God afresh, and put Him to open shame.
In Joshua Chapter
1 we read that Joshua was told three times by God to
be strong and courageous. This is then repeated again
only this time the Israelites told Joshua to be strong
and courageous in verse 18. To continue our journey
into the Promised Land requires those attributes.
We must make our
calling and election sure.
2Pe 1:10 Therefore,
brethren, be even more diligent to make your call
and election sure, for if you do these things you
will never stumble;
Note also:
Mat 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for
wide is
the gate and broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and there are many
who go in by it.
Mat 7:14 Because narrow is the
gate and difficult is the
way which leads to life, and there are few who
find it.
Jos 3:3 and they
commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark
of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the
priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set
out from your place and go after it.
Jos 3:4 Yet there
shall be a space between you and it, about two
thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it,
that you may know the way by which you must go, for
you have not passed this way
before."
The Israelites
were told to follow the Ark of the Covenant {which was
carried by the Priests} because they did not know the
way to go. This is a type of God’s word leading His
people.
Psa 119:105 Your word
is a
lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
They would be
lost if they did not follow the
We will be lost if we don’t follow God, where ever He
leads.
Notice the
following scripture carefully:
Jos 3:4 Yet there
shall be a space between you and it, about two
thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it,
that you may know the way by which you must go, for
you have not passed this way
before."
The Israelites
had not entered the Promised Land before, so it is
with God’s people today, they have not been given
access to the knowledge of eternal life before. God must show
us, we must be willing to follow God where He leads
us.
Once Joshua
reached the shores of the
As we have seen in our other articles, the Father led
the Israelites out of
When we are baptised we receive the earnest of the
spirit, but when we believe and accept the knowledge
of eternal life, then when the Father decides, He
gives us the Holy Spirit of power or truth, which is
eternal life inherent.
Now look at the amazing scripture regarding the Father
coming in the midst of the Israelites after they cross
the
Jos 3:8 You shall
command the priests who bear the ark of the
covenant, saying, 'When you have come to the edge of
the water of the
Jos 3:9 So Joshua
said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear
the words of the LORD your God."
Jos 3:10 And Joshua
said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among
you, and that
He will without fail drive out from before you the
Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the
Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and
the Jebusites:
Jos 3:11 Behold,
the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth
is crossing over before you into the
These verses say
that the Priests and the Israelites could not cross
the
Jos 3:13 And it
shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet
of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the
Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of
the Jordan, that the
waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters
that come down from upstream, and they shall stand
as a heap."
Jos 3:14 So it was,
when the people set out from their camp to cross
over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of
the covenant before the people,
Jos 3:15 and as
those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the
feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the
edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its
banks during the whole time of harvest),
Jos 3:16 that the
waters which came down from upstream stood still, and
rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that
is
beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into
the Sea of the Arabah, the
When the Priests,
who carried the ark of the covenant stood in the water
of the
Amo 8:11 "Behold,
the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I
will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of
bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the
words of the LORD.
There will be a
famine of hearing the Word of God, this is represented
by the waters closing after all the people had crossed
the
Jos 4:18 And it
came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of
the covenant of the LORD had come from the midst of
the Jordan, and the
soles of the priests' feet touched the dry land,
that the waters of the Jordan returned to their
place and overflowed all its banks as before.
Just as the path
to the Promised Land was cut off, so will God’s word
be cut off in the near future.
Isa 55:6 Seek the
LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He
is near.
God will not wait
forever, while we procrastinate, while we allow the
cares of this world to come before our bible study,
prayer and meditation. Either we serve God or we
don’t.
Once the people
crossed over the
As was stated
previously, in another article, the Crossing of the
But the people
crossed the
Jos 4:19 Now the
people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of
the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the
east border of
This is a type of
the selection of the lambs for the Passover sacrifice.
These lambs were chosen from the flocks on the 10th
Abib.
Exo 12:3 Speak to
all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the
tenth of this month every man shall take for himself
a lamb, according to the house of his
father, a lamb for a household.
They are to be
without any faults or blemishes.
Exo 12:5 Your lamb
shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.
You may take it from
the sheep or from the goats.
Exo 12:6 Now you
shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same
month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation
of
The lambs are to
be kept till the 14th of Abib. Which is the day these
lambs are sacrificed for the Passover. As the lambs
are to be without fault and blemish so are the
firstfruits of God to be without fault.
Rev 14:5 And in
their mouth was found no deceit, for they are
without fault before the throne of God.
In Joshua 5 v 2-8
we see that the Israelites were circumcised, this
physical act is a type of a spiritual condition which
we must have.
Jos 5:2 At that
time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives for
yourself, and circumcise the sons of
Jos 5:3 So Joshua
made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the
sons of
Jos 5:4 And this is the
reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the people
who came out of Egypt who were
males, all the men of war, had died in the
wilderness on the way, after they had come out of
Egypt.
Jos 5:5 For all
the people who came out had been circumcised, but
all the people born in the wilderness, on the way as
they came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised.
Jos 5:6 For the
children of Israel walked forty years in the
wilderness, till all the people who were
men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed,
because they did not obey the voice of the LORD to
whom the LORD swore that He would not show them the
land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers that
He would give us, "a land flowing with milk and
honey."
Jos 5:7 Then
Joshua circumcised their sons whom He
raised up in their place; for they were
uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised
on the way.
Jos 5:8 So it was,
when they had finished circumcising all the people,
that they stayed in their places in the camp till
they were healed.
Today
circumcision is of the heart.
Rom 2:29 but he is a
Jew who is
one inwardly; and circumcision is that
of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter;
whose praise is not
from men but from God.
We need to have a
heart led by the Spirit of God then our praises won't
come from man but God.
The following
scripture shows some very amazing events.
Jos 5:10 Now the
children of
Jos 5:11 And they
ate of the produce of the land on the day after the
Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the
very same day.
Jos 5:12 Then the
manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the
produce of the land; and the children of Israel no
longer had manna, but they ate the food of the
Firstly we see
the Israelites keep the Passover, followed by the
first celebration of the Wave Sheaf. Verse 11 this
was spoken of in Lev:
Lev 23:10 "Speak to
the children of
Lev 23:11 He shall
wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on
your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest
shall wave it.
This was not to
be kept until the Israelites entered the Promised
Land. This is a type of how God’s people will keep the
Wave Sheaf when they accept the knowledge of eternal
life, receive the Holy Spirit of power and eternal
life.
Now notice this
carefully, look at this astounding truth. It is no
coincidence that the Wave Sheaf in the year 2001 is on
the exact same day as the 1st one that Joshua kept
after going into the Promised Land.
Jos 5:11 And they
ate of the produce of the land on the day after the
Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the
very same day.
The 1st Wave
Sheaf that Joshua kept was a forerunner of the 1st
Wave Sheaf that God’s end time people are going to
keep when they accept the knowledge of eternal life
for the 1st time.
This event has
happened because God has restored the truth of eternal
life to His church, and those who accept this
knowledge will hear and obey. The gates of hell will
not prevail against God’s church.
Jos 5:12 Then the
manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the
produce of the land; and the children of Israel no
longer had manna, but they ate the food of the
Once the children
entered the Promised Land we see that the manna
ceased, this is because up until then they had been
fed on milk, but now they were ready for food of
eternal life, solid food, meat in due season.
This is a type of
God’s people, we have only had milk until now, if we
accept the knowledge of eternal life, we are ready for
the meat of the word which is the knowledge of eternal
life.
Heb 5:14 But solid
food belongs to those who are of full age, that is,
those who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern both good and evil.
Solid food is for
the mature.
Now notice this astounding scripture.
Isa 28:9 "Whom will
he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to
understand the message? Those weaned
from milk? Those
drawn from the breasts?
That is so clear,
if we are mature, if we are ready for meat, God will
reveal it to us. But we must want it. We must want the
Promised Land like Joshua and Caleb. We must seek it
like a pearl of great price.
Once we receive
the Holy Spirit of power, we have eternal life
inherent, but we must endure till the end and continue
to grow and overcome as before.
The period of
examination for faults and blemishes of the lambs, as
was mentioned above, is a type of a final testing and
proving, of the lambs. It is the same for God’s
chosen ones, we have to be tested to determine if we
will continue to believe God and obey Him and remain
faithful under extreme testing.
This could be in
a form of persecution and rejection from our own
families, friends and fellow brethren. {Matt 24 v
9-13} {Acts 26 v 10}. This will be the most severe
testing that anyone has ever been through, it will
make our previous trials and tests seem like a picnic.
This will be extremely hard. Consider Abraham, he had
to have the knife raised in the air to slay his very
own son, before God said now I know that you
fear Me.
Gen 22:2 Then He
said, "Take now your son, your only son
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the
Gen 22:10 And
Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to
slay his son.
Gen 22:11 But the
Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and
said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am."
Gen 22:12 And He
said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do
anything to him; for now I know that you fear God,
since you have not withheld your son, your only son,
from Me."
Almost all the
apostles were persecuted and put to death for their
beliefs {Acts 7 v 52-60} 2 Cor 11 v 23. This is not
going to be easy, what lies ahead, in this final
examination for blemishes and faults of the lambs.
Consider the
following scriptures:
Eph 5:27 that He
might present her to Himself a glorious church, not
having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that
she should be holy and without blemish.
We must be
refined in the fire and washed with fuller’s soap.
Mal 3:2 "But who
can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand
when He appears? For He is like
a refiner's fire And like launderers' soap.
Mal 3:3 He will
sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will
purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and
silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering
in righteousness.
The bride must
make herself ready.
Rev 19:7 Let us be
glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the
marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made
herself ready."
And also notice
that those with Christ are called, chosen {elect} and
faithful.
Rev 17:14 These will
make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome
them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and
those who
are with Him are
called, chosen, and faithful."
Christ was the
Lamb of God.
Joh 1:29 The next
day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said,
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world!
We are Christ’s
lambs.
Joh 21:15 So when
they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon,
son
of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?"
He said to Him, "Yes,
Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him,
"Feed My lambs."
Notice in Joshua
4 v 13 that there were 40,000 men equipped for war,
who crossed the
Eph 6:13 Therefore
take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all,
to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand
therefore, having girded your waist with truth,
having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Eph 6:15 and having
shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of
peace;
Eph 6:16 above all,
taking the shield of faith with which you will be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked
one.
Eph 6:17 And take
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God;
As we have seen
most plainly at this point, if we accept the precious
truth God has made known in these last days, we are
called. If
we are baptised and wish to accept the knowledge of
eternal life, once we have God’s Holy Spirit of power,
we are chosen. What remains to be decided is will we
endure until the end and prove faithful. Remember the
called chosen and faithful are with Christ at the time
of the end.
Rev 17:14 These will
make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome
them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and
those who
are with Him are
called, chosen, and faithful."
