Nehushtan The Serpent on a Pole...the Image of Judgement!!!

 Bloggers, as most of the world's peoples can see when we look all around us today, is that our life's and all our circumstances and situations are changing for the worst. The lives that we once knew not too long ago that offered more stability than today has now faded into the past and those doors to those days are now closed forever. And here we are today, standing in a wasteland of what used to be compared to the days gone by. And this place that we stand on presently is as unstable as our lives, and our governments, and economies. It seems that today, we are truly walking on eggshells because of the violence and instability of the things mentioned, and because of the extra burdens of sins that we carry like in duffle bags on top of each shoulder. And the sins in the bags are like solid weighty metal that are heavier than the natural problems that we have. So, is it any wonder that we can't take either a step forward or backwards because if we do..., we will collapse under that weight and be crushed by our own sins! Hence, our situations seem like if we are stuck in a quandary as a Country or people and we are the contributing factors to the layers of our own problems. But we refuse to admit guilt to that. Therefore, what is the tendency for us to do in such drastic circumstances as a reaction? We resort to what is innate in us to do because we want to survive and not take responsibility for our own faults. Hence, we like to complain our heads off about our problems and blame it on the mail man or milk man but not on ourselves. We also like to blame those political prostitutes or corrupt clergy or anybody else but ourselves. And when things really get as bad for us like as for the guy holding the two heavy military duffle bags of sin on his shoulders. And we can't move in any direction because we are stuck in a blistering overheated sun-drenched desert with no water or food, and we are bummed out. Well... we love to blame God or blame Moses! Yeah, that is what people most likely will do when they lose and or suffer lost. I used to hear such things from people even when I was a boy growing up and all the way until today. I remember only one time in my life that I raised my fist against God as a little boy because I didn't get my way. I yelled at the sky and said to God that I would claim the devil as my friend instead of Him. I guess I was about 8 years old then. And since then, I have never done anything stupid like that again. And even though I have suffered extremely bad in my life, I have never cursed God again after that. But the point is that people do curse God even as adults and that's how they cope with their problems. Nevertheless, this is exactly how we contribute to making our sin bags much heavier by the day. Which brings me to the topic of my story today. And since the next person or entity people like to blame for their own problems is Satan, it becomes just as easy to blame Satan or devils for all our maladies as well. But Satan only Tempts people he doesn't force anyone to do wrong. The action part of acting out one's sinful desires starts with us. Satan just plants evil thoughts in our minds. Just like Satan acted out on his own thoughts to rebel against God in Heaven, he is basically restricted to that type of behavior here on earth too. And that unwise action that plagues Satan from long ago has cost him dearly in heaven and he did lose a lot. And that is how he became to be known as the Lying, Slithering, Hissing, and Rattling Serpent, in the second heaven and on earth. And that means that he is still brooding over his own screw ups. And he too doesn't like the idea of losing so he blames God and us too. That is the name of the blame game. However, a deal was struck between Satan and God according to God's plans and purposes and so Satan continues to have access to hell as well. And since Satan is able to ascend and descend into heaven and earth and hell, a myth about his power for rebirth or resurrection is concocted to match God's abilities, but in a deceptive way. Therefore, when God passes Judgement on Lucifer in heaven and casted him out of God's presence, Satan is condemned to be as a type of Serpent. And from the inception of this Symbolic Creature, he is a Dragon or Serpent and presents with wings and fire. And from ancient time Satan and his Fallen Comrades continue to corrupt the people of that region in Mesopotamian thoroughly with images of themselves as Serpent type Beings and insist on being worshipped by the people. And since these fallen entities have such finesse at their abilities for being extremely unique at being master craftsman for creating the very best of Gold layered Lies, they have most all known world then and now worshipping Satan in many forms. However, as I stated, God is always way ahead of the hounds and knows our minds and what is being cooked up in there before we act on those plans. He is never caught off guard. For example, His Chosen People let Him down badly like only an unfaithful wife can many times, but God still has a way to show that ungrateful woman mercy and grace as many times as well. Just like God did to the murmuring and complaining Israelite Hebrew people way out there in that miserable hot and cold desert in the Sinai where they went in circles for forty years. And all during that time, the Israelites not only complained against God, but they complained against Moses... God's servant. And they acted righteous and pious about their rebellious behavior, and they demanded better treatment out there and supplies like rations of food and water. Yet in their tents, they worshipped idols of snakes and every living thing that creeps and crawls or swims or fly's. And they thought that God couldn't see what they were doing in the dark. Well, one day God sends for venomous snakes by the thousands to swarm their camps and bite many people as a punishment for their bickering and complaining. And many are bitten and get sick and are dying and multitudes had already died. So, the people cry out to God and to Moses to stop the punishment because they were sorry for complaining. Thus, God orders Moses to erect a Bronze Pole with a Bronce Snake coiled on the pole. and lift it high after digging it in the ground for balance. And further, God told the people to look at the Snake and Pole and be Healed! Therefore, the people looked at this bronze image of the Snake and Pole and were healed. And this Image was called "Nehushtan." Which meant, " A Brazen Image, a mere piece of Brass." What? That is, it! That is all it meant! Yes! That is all it was meant to be, just a symbol for something way much bigger and with a higher purpose than Nehushtan yet futuristic. Nehushtan was only a symbol for Sin and for Judgement the consequences of Sin because that is what Brass or Bronze represents. Hence, Nehushtan was a symbol of Judgement against rebellion and sin and so required an act of ritualistic faith that forced the sinner to look upon with faith at this object for healing if that was what they were needing. Because Faith requires action and believing and thus the Israelites had to look upon this image as a symbol of Judgement; the judgement being the Snake who was once deadly, but now through the act of obedience to God by obeying His instructions to Look upon, now they could receive their Healing. As we can see, Nehushtan reverses the curse initiated in the Garden at the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. And here the Serpent who was once the agent of Death, now is transformed into a Sign of Salvation because Jesus Christ has crushed the head of the Serpent at The Cross. This Image of Nehushtan was speaking of a better sacrifice to come in the future for them when Jesus Christ would be lifted up on the Cross at Cavalry. But Nehushtan was never supposed to be instituted in a religious context into God's Holy rituals or as any sacred object like the Menorah and such. However, the Hebrews and Jewish people having a high propensity to make idols of anything, decided to worship Nehushtan also and instead of discarding it after its usefulness, they saved it in their Holy Temple. Does that remind us of anyone else that we know now days? And after reading this episode of the Exodus story I wondered why, wasn't the   bronze snake mentioned after that story? Well, it is not mentioned until King Hezekiah's Reforms in Judah c.800 B.C. that Nehushtan is finally destroyed. But I asked a hard question, why wasn't Nehushtan destroyed by Moses or the other Righteous Patriarchs after Moses and before Hezekiah? Why did it take so long to destroy this temporary lesson object. Well, I'll ask a harder Question to my Catholic friends, "Why is Nehushtan still worshipped in the Vatican today? Why go back and make replicas of forbidden non-essential ritual objects to worship again for?" Remember... that Faith Healing and spiritual transformation requires focus on God's Grace and the finished work of Christ Jesus. Everything in Christian Doctrine involves Faith in God and Obedience to His Commandments only. And but Nehushtan was set up to prefigure Jesus Christ crucifixion and the lifting up of Jesus on the Cross. And all the goodness and benefits that come through His Perfect Sacrifice such as Healing! Even in His Death there was Healing and the power to be transformed into a righteous person. All one has to do is look at Him and believe that He is our perfect sacrifice to redeem us from sins. And further, for whoever was overburdened by extreme sins, all one had to do was ask for forgiveness and look upon Jesus because He has already paid for our sins and is alive to help us with Mercy and Power! And moreover, now that He is alive and resurrected in Heaven, can you imagine what gifts he can give to those who look up to Him in Faith and Believe that He is God of gods? So Let Us Sleep On That for now until next time. I told you that that Great Serpent Satan lost a lot! And remember that Nehushtan was a mere piece of bronze that is all. Thanks again. It's beautiful when the pieces start to fall into place and our eyes begin to understand. Peace to all those searching to be free from the burdens of Sin.                                                                                                                                                                                                          Respectfully,                                                                                                                                             Ruben N. Gutierrez