Numbers 16:35-40
Korah and His Followers Judged
The sin of these men is a sin to death. In the course of this chapter we see a picture of the developments in professing Christianity. There is talk of three days. The first day is the day of the uprising. We see this in the early days of professing Christianity, when a priesthood class is created. The second day is the day of intercession by Moses. On this basis God gives a way to escape judgment. That way is the way of separation from evil (Rev 18:4; 2Tim 2:19b).After all these centuries of unfaithfulness of the church, God has not destroyed the church, but has given it a new principle. That is the principle of separation from the evil of all human institutions. In church history we see that this mainly happens in the beginning of the nineteenth century. In the sabbath violator (Num 15:32-36) we see the picture that evil is being removed from the church. In this history we see that if evil is not removed from the church, the faithful themselves will have to depart. Never before has it happened that people entered the realm of the dead alive (Psa 55:15). It is the dishonor of the beast and the false prophet to be the first living beings to be cast into hell (Rev 19:20). What will happen to the beast and the false prophet is yet another clear indication that this history refers to the end time of the Christian testimony on earth.The Bronze Censers
Here begins a special part of the book of Numbers. In this part, the priesthood in its glory is shown as the foundation for the entry of the people into the land. That a new section begins here, can be seen in some Bible translations. Those translations begin here with Numbers 17:1.Eleazar is the third son of Aaron. The number three speaks of the resurrection. He is the son of the new life, he will become the high priest after Aaron’s death. He is ordered to remove the bronze censers from the fire and use them as a plating for the altar.The bronze is not consumed by the fire. We can therefore say that the bronze speaks of the righteousness that can withstand the power of judgment. Herein we see a picture of the Lord Jesus, Who is not consumed by God’s judgment. Whoever sees the bronze altar is reminded of the judgment of Korah and his company and of what is resistant to the judgment. It is an enduring testimony, as is the sprouting staff, of the priesthood.
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