The bright morning star will return with the royal scepter to rule the nations.
Numbers 24:15-19 This is the message Balaam delivered: "This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly, 16 the message of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:
17 I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the heads of Moab's people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth.
18 Edom will be taken over, and Seir, its enemy, will be conquered, while Israel marches on in triumph. 19 A ruler will rise in Jacob who will destroy the survivors of Ir."
We have seen in the past few post
about Balaam and King Balak that
a false prophet, a false priest
and an evil king cannot stand against the will of God. They were sure that
God's people didn't deserve the promises after the way they have been behaving
in the wilderness so they tried but failed to change God's mind.
There are a lot of images of Jesus seen in the Old Testament, types of Christ,
but this is the only opposite type of Christ that I am aware of. Balaam
and King Balak have formed an unholy alliance against God's people that looks
similar to the unholy trinity that the Bible shows us in Revelation.
The Unholy Trinity
As a prophet and priest, Balaam is:
- A false prophet that is an unwilling messenger for God, he wants to prophecy that God's people are cursed in order to please the king but God is in control so he is forced to bless
- An unholy priest that used excessive sacrifices multiple times in high places the way the pagans did to manipulate their "gods" to try and get different outcomes
As a king, Balak is:
- Trying to be in control against God's will in order to protect his own interest
- Furious that his money, military threat, and religious activity are powerless (Numbers 24:10-11)
It is easy to see how Satan is using these men to imitate what is holy,
these men give us a clear preview of what is going to be seen in the end
times. Satan, the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet will be defeated as God
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit win the ultimate battle with a
permanent outcome. (Revelation 16:13)
The True Prophet, Priest And King Comes With Blessings
Luke 4:18-19 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD's favor has come."
Jesus came to earth on a mission to bless, he makes it obvious at the
beginning of his ministry by applying the verses in Isaiah 61:1-2 to himself
in Luke 4:18-19. It is interesting that Jesus stopped reading in Isaiah
mid-sentence to omit the next phrase that talks about his second coming as the
king that will judge the nations.
Jesus came to be Emmanuel, God with us, to be a blessing to us. Because
of God's great love he came to
redeem his people
from slavery to the kingdom of darkness where we live still today. Scripture
gave us a picture of this when God took his people out of Egypt and made them
into a holy nation that would bless the world.
Jesus told us that he came to seek and save the lost to save us from
the day of judgment that has been postponed until after the church age when
grace and salvation will be replaced by judgment and wrath. (John 3:16-17,
Luke 19:10)
Jesus is our:
- Prophet, Jesus spoke only what the Father gave Him, blessings instead of curses (John 7:16; 8:28; 12:49–50)
- Priest, Jesus blessed us by offering himself as the true sacrifice that became cursed for our sins (Galatians 3:13-14)
- King, Jesus established a new, eternal kingdom that is not of this world and he transferred our citizenship there (John 18:36, Colossians 1:13-14, Revelation 11:15)
Thankfully the prophet and priest came first, we need the true high
priest to forgive us of our sins and the true prophet to help us know
God so we can prepare ourselves for the arrival of the king. The same
Jesus who came as the gentle shepherd to care for his sheep in this life as he prepares us will take care of us eternally as he
prepares a place for us to live with him.
(Revelation 19:9 21:4–5; 22:3)
The Bright Morning Star
Revelation 22:14-16 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs-the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star."
The end of the story, way back in the end of our Bible in Revelation,
assures us that the star that was to come from Jacob really did come! When Jesus was with us the first time he told us that he is the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46) and at the end of our Bible he makes it clear that he is the bright morning star.
The same King who gently
calls, "Come to me, all who are weary and I will give you rest" will one
day say to the unrepentant, "Depart from me" (Matthew 11:28, 25:41).
This Christmas, as we celebrate the Star that rose over Bethlehem, the
question remains: Will the King invite you in?
Come to him today willing
to accept him as your High Priest so that you can live with the King for eternity.
