Did Moses Go To Heaven?
Did Moses go to Heaven, is such a powerful question. We need to find out who Moses actually was and how he lived. The God of Abraham honored Moses’ mother and her prayer to save her son and through him He saved a nation.
The short answer is that he did go to Heaven. He humbly honored God and consistently led a difficult rebellious nation from slavery to freedom. Let’s follow the path of his life on Earth and see how the Bible answers that question.
The Miraculous Birth Of Moses.
In Egypt, around 1300 BCE, the Pharaoh of the time became fearful that the slaves he used to build the national monuments. He commanded that his midwives kill all male babies born to the Hebrews.
The midwives were afraid of their God, and would not kill any babies and the nation was blessed with a huge population explosion. The midwives were blessed by God as well. They told the Pharaoh that the Hebrew women were strong and delivered before they could get there.
So, he then ordered his soldiers to kill all male babies. Moses’ mother prayed for her son and put him into a basket she made and had her daughter, Miriam, follow it. The Pharaoh’s daughter found this precious little boy in the water and decided to adopt him as her own.
Moses was raised as an Egyptian. He was given every provision and opportunity as a young son of the Pharaoh.
Moses’ Adult Life.
When he was around forty years old, he watched his soldiers whipping the slaves and became furious. He killed the soldier and hid that secret. Soon two Hebrews were fighting and he tried to stop them.
They yelled at him and accused him of possibly killing one of them as he had done to the Egyptian. He was instantly terrified that the Pharaoh would order his own death for that murder and he ran away.
He ran into the desert and began an entirely new life, with a wife and child, as a shepherd. He got to know the God of the Hebrews in that forty year season of his life.
One day as he tended his sheep, he saw a burning bush that was not being burned at all. He went close to try to understand how that was a possibility. The voice of God spoke to him and told him to go back to Egypt and set his people free.
He was now eighty years old and just as strong and healthy as he was at forty.
His brother, Aaron, was led by God to join him. Aaron was able to speak in front of people yet Moses stuttered and was too afraid to go before the Pharaoh. Together they demanded temporary freedom for all the slaves so that they could go out into the desert and worship their God.
But, just as God had explained from the start, Pharaoh refused to let all of the people leave, even for a short time. This is when the plagues began.
There were ten plagues to prove the sovereignty of the Hebrew God. These plagues were directly related to the demonic ‘gods’ the Egyptians worshiped.
Egyptian Gods That Were Exposed By Plagues:
The first plague was that all of the water in all of the land, including the water in the pitchers and closed jars, turned to blood. The Egyptian priests were able to turn water to blood but were not able to do so in the closed vessels. They were not able to undo the plague for seven days.
Hapi the God of the Nile. He was a water bearer.
Heket was the second goddess that The God of Israel confronted. She had the head of a frog. So He brought frogs into every place in Egypt.
Geb was the god of the dust and the God of the Hebrew slaves brought lice out of the dust of the earth. The Egyptian magicians were now unable to mimic the plague and admitted that this was from the hand of God.
Khepri was considered the god of creation, movement of the sun and rebirth. The statues of Khepri had the head of a fly. God sent the plague of flies against Egypt through Moses (the first one that he had performed alone).
That began the next set of plagues which God sent using Moses who now had enough confidence to walk into the Pharaohs palace and speak God’s Word.
The goddess of love and protection, Hathor, was shown with the head of a cow. This next plague was to affect the cattle. In turn this devastated their economy from several directions. Their goddess was unable to stop them, nor were their royal magicians.
Isis, the goddess of medicine and peace, was sent a message through the plague of boils sent from ashes that covered person and animal alike. This was not put on the Hebrew people, just like the previous two.
Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky, was unable to foresee or stop the hail and fire raining down from the sky.
Locusts came in from the sky to destroy the remaining crops. This proved that Seth, the god of storms and disorder, was not as strong as The God of Moses.
Ra, the sun god was ‘caught off guard’ by the three days of utter darkness during the next plague.
Pharaoh was considered to be the ultimate power of Egypt, and was crushed by the final great plague. Every firstborn Egyptian was killed in one night. This was the breaking point for him.
Moses led his people into the desert.
So Moses triumphantly led the children of Israel, the entire Hebrew nation, out of Egypt and into the desert as the first place of rest and worship. God protected His people as they traveled toward the Red Sea.
So many movies have been made of the travels of the Israelites and Moses, my favorite being THE TEN COMMANDMENTS directed by Cecil B. Demille. The moment when the Red Sea parts and the Israelites walk across on dry land is awe inspiring. This was only one event they experienced as they made their way across the desert to the “land flowing with milk and honey” (which means ‘luxurious provision’).
Moses was instructed to have the nation cleanse themselves and prepare to meet him on Mount Sinai. They were terrified at the thought of having to meet face to face with God on top of a high mountain, so they told Moses to go alone and just tell them what He had to say.
This led to years of an intimate relationship between God and Moses during which God told Moses about how and why He created the universe and everything in it. He gave laws and rules to live by so that the people He had chosen many generations before would not give in to the temptation to worship other gods.
Moses wrote down the words of God which has always been known in Jewish Tradition as The Torah, or Moses’ law. Many of the Old Testament saints had only these words to live by all their days. People of God today consider this to be a direct word of the Lord and it is the foundation of the entire Bible.
The faith of Moses is still taught and preached, approximately 5000 years later. The New Testament writer included him in the hall of faith chapter in the book of Hebrews as well.
Hebrews 11:24-27 “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”
He was given insight into God’s plan for humanity, the days of Jesus as well as the reproach of Christ. He knew God in a way that was deeper than Abraham. He was humble; Numbers 12:3 says (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
The End Of Moses’ Life:
Even though he had been a part of all these good things, “because broke faith with God in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin, and because he did not uphold God’s holiness among them he was not permitted to enter Canaan, the promised land.” (paraphrased from Deuteronomy 32:51)
He was 120 years old. He had led them to the plains of Moab, to the base of Mount Nebo, which he climbed to the top at Pisgah, across from Jordan, where God showed him the land which had been promised to the Hebrew nation of Israel.
And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. 6 He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. (Deut. 34:5-6)
Jude 1:9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
So, God Himself buried His friend and confidant and to this day no one knows where his burial place is located exactly. However, we can be confident that the devil was unable to take Moses’ body. And that he went to Abraham’s Bosom (another name for Paradise which some people believe to be the first Heaven).
Appearing In The New Testament:
According to the New Testament gospels of Matthew and Mark as well as Luke’s account, Moses appeared with Elijah at the transfiguration of Jesus Christ (meaning that his form and appearance changed completely into a more beautiful and spiritual state).
The three disciples with Him knew they were on holy ground and wanted to do something to commemorate this moment. Their minor understanding of scriptures made them aware of who these two men must be.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. (Matthew 17)
It would have been impossible for Moses to have appeared with Jesus and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration if he had not made it to Heaven.
What Are The Take-Aways From Moses’ Life?
First, and foremost, God’s Plans will always succeed. It didn’t catch God off guard that the Pharaoh ordered the mass killings of all baby boys in the land. He also knew that the name given to his redeemer would mean “drawn out” and in Egypt it meant “child”. He provided for him even when Moses was not aware of his humble beginnings.
Second, no matter how much sin we commit or how far we attempt to run away from our purpose, God is always there. Moses was raised as a prideful and even arrogant man. He killed and ran in fear. God met him in a desert and spoke through a burning bush.
Third, we may be unable to see our true value because of weaknesses or disabilities, but God works with them and with us to complete every mission. Moses was fearful and stuttered. He had become a lowly shepherd yet God sent him to speak to the one many believed to be a god.
Fourth, neither the outcome or the process depends on us. Moses had his brother speak much of the beginning meetings with the Pharaoh. And many of the supernatural miracles were performed through a staff, or walking stick. They were not dependent on one man, he was simply a vessel.
Fifth, and by far the most important, no matter how many good deeds we do we are unable to obtain admission into the third Heaven presence of God for eternity on our own. The only way is through the ultimate plan of God; His only begotten son. See John 3:16-17
His death and resurrection were accomplished to pay the penalty of all sin ever committed so that we may be brought back into right standing with God. The Lord Jesus Christ was, and is the mediator of a new covenant between God and man.
He is now sitting at the right hand of God, His Father, interceding on our behalf day and night. It is His will and desire that not one person should ever die and be separated from Them forever. It is His ultimate plan that everyone would have eternal life in the presence of God.
A spiritual life after our physical death. For further insight read What it means to be a Christian.
P.S. (Plain and Simple)
Moses not only went to Heaven after he died, while on Earth he also lived with a very close personal relationship with God. His daily walk went further than simply knowing who He was by name; he asked and God granted that he would know His ways. He was allowed to see the glory of God and talk with him face to face.