Numbers 16:28-30
“Moses said, ‘Through this shall you know that HASHEM sent me to perform all these acts, that it was not from my heart.
“If these die like the death of all men, and the destiny of all men is visited upon them, then it is not HASHEM Who has sent me.”
VE’IM-BERI’AH YIV’RA YHVH UPATZ’TA HA’A’DA’MAH ET-PI’AH
UVAL’AH O’TAM VE’ET-KOL-ASHER LA’HEM
VE’YAR’DU CHAIIM SHO’LAH
VE’YA’DA’TEM CI NI’A’TZU HA’ANASHIM HA’EY’LEH ET-YHVH
“But if HASHEM will create a phenomenon and the earth opens its mouth
and swallows them and all that is theirs,
and they will descend alive into the pit,
then you shall know that these men have provoked HA’SHEM.”
[STONE translation]
Acts 13:32—35
“And we declare to you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers
“God has fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he has raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, You are my son, this day have I begotten you. [Psalm 2:7]
“And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. [Isaiah 55:3]
“Wherefore he says also in another psalm, You shall not suffer your Holy One to see corruption.” [Psalm 16:10]
Look at this counterpoint of the works of God among men!
Korach and his company descended alive into Sheol (Hell);
God brought up Christ alive out from Hell (Sheol)!
The one was for a spectacular judgment upon wicked men who blasphemed God’s Prophet and sought to take to themselves his office of leadership of the people;
The other was for a spectacular testimony to the truth of God’s Messiah whom he sent for the salvation of all peoples.
Now God is doing a spectacular thing again: He is indwelling the hearts of all those who put their faith in Him through the One whom He has raised again from the dead never more to see corruption!
This is the most phenomenal thing of all things—that God will inhabit a people who are fashioned in the Messiah as a Temple of the Holy Spirit.
Baptism is a recapitulation of these two phenomena—a descent into death with Messiah to put away from us our rebellious nature, and an ascent from death with our Lord Yeshua to reign forever in Life with Him, empowered by the Holy Spirit!
May the LORD put a profound thirst into your heart for the fulness of this transformation, this new life, this new indwelling. It is your inheritance from the Father.
(Luke 24:29; John 16-17; Acts 1:8; 2:1-39 seq.)
