“For the law was given through Moses; but grace [the unearned, undeserved favour of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
— John 1:17 (AMP)

Moses stands as the towering figure of the Old Covenant—the Law-giver, the mediator, the deliverer of Israel from Egypt. Christ stands as the perfect fulfilment—the Law-keeper, the eternal Mediator, the Deliverer of all mankind from sin and death.

In this post, we will carefully compare Moses and Christ, examining their roles, ministries, and spiritual meanings, to glorify Christ as the Greater Deliverer. All this, of course, is only true and revealed when Christ is in you, the Holy Spirit leads you, the flesh is dead, and you are alive in the Spirit.

Their Names: Meaning and Revelation #

Their Roles and Ministries Compared #

1. Birth Under Threat #

Both Moses and Christ entered the world in times of danger, when cruel kings sought to destroy the promised deliverer. Pharaoh issued an edict to kill every Hebrew male child (Exodus 1:22), just as Herod sought to kill the Christ-child (Matthew 2:16). God’s divine intervention spared both, showing that no earthly power can thwart His purpose. The “seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15) was protected in every generation until Christ fulfilled the promise.

This parallel unveils the prophetic war between the serpent and the Seed—a conflict that began in Eden and climaxed at the Cross.

2. Divine Mission of Deliverance #

Moses was sent by God to liberate Israel from Egyptian bondage—a picture of the world’s system of sin and death. Christ was sent from Heaven to deliver all humanity from spiritual slavery to sin (John 8:34-36). Moses led an exodus across the Red Sea; Christ led the ultimate exodus—through death into resurrection life (Luke 9:31, Greek: exodos).

Thus, Moses’ deliverance was temporary and national; Christ’s deliverance is eternal and universal. One led to Canaan; the Other to the New Jerusalem.

3. Mediators of Covenants #

Moses became the mediator (Greek: mesitēs, μεσίτης) of the Old Covenant, receiving the Law (Torah) at Sinai to give to Israel (Exodus 19). But the Law could only reveal sin—it could not remove it (Romans 3:20).

Christ is the Mediator of a better Covenant—the New Covenant—sealed with His blood (Hebrews 8:6). His ministry does not condemn but imparts life by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:6). Thus, the contrast is clear: Moses showed what God required; Christ fulfilled it on our behalf.

4. Glory Revealed #

Moses’ face shone with reflected glory after meeting God (Exodus 34:29), but he veiled it to hide the fading brightness (2 Corinthians 3:13). This fading glory symbolised the temporary nature of the Old Covenant.

Christ, however, is the very radiance (Greek: apaugasma, ἀπαύγασμα) of God’s glory and exact representation of His nature (Hebrews 1:3). His glory is unfading, eternal, and transforming—as seen in the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2) and revealed to believers by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

5. The Intercessor Role #

Moses pleaded with God to spare sinful Israel (Exodus 32:11-14). His intercession temporarily delayed judgment but could not cleanse the inner man. Christ, however, ever lives to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25). His intercession is not pleading fearfully but standing as the Lamb whose sacrifice satisfied all divine justice.

Thus, Moses could delay wrath; Christ completely absorbed and satisfied it.

6. Sacrifice and Offering #

Moses oversaw animal sacrifices to cover sin temporarily (Leviticus 4). Yet the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin (Hebrews 10:4). Christ offered Himself once for all—a perfect sacrifice that ended the old system forever (Hebrews 9:12).

Moses was a shadow; Christ is the substance. Moses’ offerings pointed forward; Christ’s offering completed redemption.

7. The Law and Its Fulfilment #

Through Moses came the Torah—the Law—holy, just, and good (Romans 7:12), but impossible for fallen (flesh) man to fully obey. The Law exposed sin but gave no power to overcome it. Christ fulfilled the Law entirely (Matthew 5:17), ending its condemnation for those who are in Him (Romans 8:1-3).

This is the great mystery: the Law written in stone is now written in the heart by the Spirit (Hebrews 8:10), for those who are dead to Adam but alive in Christ.

8. Leading to Inheritance #

Moses led the people towards Canaan, but because of his failure at Meribah, he could not enter (Deuteronomy 34:4). Joshua (Yehoshua, Hebrew for “The LORD saves”) finished the journey—a prophetic name pointing to Yeshua (Jesus).

Christ leads His people into the true promised land: the New Creation, resurrection life, and union with God forever (Revelation 21:1-7). Moses brought Israel to the border; Christ brings believers to the fullness.

Moses as a Type and Shadow of Christ #

“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.”
— John 5:46 (AMP)

Moses himself was a type (Greek: τύπος, typos) of Christ—a foreshadowing, but not the fulfilment. Let us see how:

Understanding the Type and Shadow of Christ #

The Scriptures consistently present Moses as a profound type and shadow of Christ, though not the fullness. In this mystery, we see the wisdom of God in preparing the human heart to receive the true Deliverer—Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Let us walk carefully through this, with light from the Word.

1. Moses as Deliverer — Shadow of Christ the True Saviour #

Moses was raised by God to deliver Israel from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt (Exodus 3:10). His life mission foreshadowed the greater Deliverer—Christ—who came not to rescue from Egypt but from the bondage of sin, death, and the devil.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (AMP):
“Therefore, since [these His] children share in flesh and blood [the physical nature of mankind], He Himself in the same way also partook of the same [physical nature], so that through [experiencing] death He might make powerless (ineffective, impotent) him who had the power of death—that is, the devil— and [that He] might free all those who through [the haunting] fear of death were held in slavery throughout their lives.”

As Moses led Israel out of a physical kingdom of bondage, Christ leads His people from spiritual bondage into the liberty of the Kingdom of God. The Greek word for “deliver” (ῥύομαι, rhuomai) means “to draw to oneself; to rescue from danger” (Romans 11:26)—a complete fulfilment seen in Christ.

2. Moses as Mediator — Shadow of Christ the Only Mediator #

Moses stood between God and Israel on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-19). The people could not bear the voice of God directly, so Moses served as their go-between.

But the Apostle Paul reveals the fullness of this shadow in Christ:

1 Timothy 2:5 (AMP):
“For there is [only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus.”

Moses mediated the Old Covenant; Christ is the Mediator of a New and better Covenant (Hebrews 8:6), established not on the blood of animals but His perfect sacrifice. The Hebrew term for mediator is meylitz (מֵלִיץ)—meaning “interpreter, advocate”—fully realised in Jesus, our heavenly Advocate.

3. Moses as Law-Giver — Shadow of Christ the Law-Fulfiller #

Moses received the Law at Sinai—etched on stone by the finger of God (Exodus 31:18). Yet this law could not give life or make men perfect. It was meant to tutor Israel until the true Righteous One appeared.

Matthew 5:17 (AMP):
“Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the Law of Moses or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”

Christ fulfilled the Law—not by abolishing it—but by filling it with grace, truth, and spiritual life (John 1:17). The Greek word pléroó (πληρόω)—”to make full, to complete”—shows that Jesus did not discard Moses’ shadow but completed it in glory.

4. Moses as Prophet — Shadow of Christ the Final Word #

Moses foretold:

Deuteronomy 18:15 (AMP):
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; you shall listen to him.”

This pointed directly to Christ—the final, divine Word of God (John 1:1). Moses spoke from God; Christ is God in the flesh—Emmanuel. Hebrews 1:1-2 declares that God has “in these last days spoken to us in His Son”.

Thus, Moses was a foreshadowing lamp; Christ is the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2).

5. Moses as Intercessor — Shadow of Christ the Everlasting Intercessor #

Moses interceded for Israel’s sin, pleading with God to forgive the people (Exodus 32:11-14). Yet this intercession was limited and imperfect.

Christ, however, lives forever to intercede:

Hebrews 7:25 (AMP):
“Therefore He is able also to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede and intervene on their behalf [with God].”

The word entugchanó (ἐντυγχάνω) in Greek means “to meet, to entreat for another”—the perfect High Priest’s work on behalf of His body.

The Superiority of Christ Over Moses #

“For this One [Christ] has been considered worthy of greater glory than Moses…”
— Hebrews 3:3 (AMP)

1. Moses as a Servant, Christ as the Son #

Hebrews 3:5-6 (AMP):
“Now Moses was faithful in the administration of all God’s house [but only] as a ministering servant, for a testimony of the things which were to be spoken [later]; but Christ is faithful as a Son over His [Father’s] house…”

Moses served faithfully in God’s household, but he was a servant (therapōn—θεράπων in Greek, meaning “attendant” or “minister”). Christ, however, rules as the Son (huios—υἱός), the heir and Lord of the house itself. This marks a fundamental difference in authority and position: Moses testified of the things to come; Christ is the very fulfilment of those things.

2. The Law Through Moses, Grace and Truth Through Christ #

John 1:17 (AMP):
“For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favour of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

The Law given by Moses revealed the standard of God’s holiness but lacked the power to transform the human heart (Romans 8:3). It served as a tutor to lead people to Christ (Galatians 3:24). But grace and truth—the divine enablement to live in that holiness—came only through Jesus Christ. Christ does not merely reveal God’s demand; He supplies the very life and Spirit to meet it.

3. Moses Pointed to Christ; Christ is the Fulfilment #

Deuteronomy 18:15 (AMP):
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you… you shall listen to him.”

This prophecy pointed to Jesus as the final Prophet—the very Word of God made flesh (John 1:14). Moses anticipated the Messiah; Christ is that Messiah. What Moses saw dimly, Christ fulfilled in fullness.

The Greek word for “fulfil” is plēroō (πληρόω)—meaning to “fill to the brim,” to “complete perfectly.” Moses’ ministry was preparatory; Christ’s is perfect and final.

4. Moses Gave the Shadow; Christ Brought the Substance #

Colossians 2:17 (AMP):
“Such things are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance [the reality, the fulfilment] belongs to Christ.”

The Tabernacle, the sacrifices, the priesthood, the festivals—all detailed under Moses—were shadows, spiritual outlines pointing to a coming reality. Christ brought that reality. His body was the true Temple (John 2:21); His sacrifice was the true Atonement (Hebrews 9:11-12); His priesthood was the eternal one after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:24).

Moses gave the outline; Christ is the living picture.

5. Moses Led to the Border; Christ Leads into the Inheritance #

Moses led Israel faithfully to the edge of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 34:4), but could not bring them in because of his failure at Meribah (Numbers 20:12). This prophetically symbolises the limitation of the Law: it can show the way but cannot grant entrance into God’s rest.

Hebrews 4:8-9 (AMP):
“For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day [of opportunity] after that. So there remains a [full and complete] Sabbath rest for the people of God.”

Only Christ—whose Hebrew name Yehoshua (Joshua) means “Yahweh saves”,—could bring God’s people into the true inheritance of eternal rest and life in the Spirit. The Law stopped at the border; grace brings us into the fullness.

6. Moses Reflected God’s Glory Temporarily; Christ Possesses Glory Eternally #

When Moses descended Mount Sinai, his face shone with reflected glory—but it faded (Exodus 34:29-35). Christ, however, is the very radiance (apaugasma—ἀπαύγασμα) of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3). His glory is not borrowed; it is intrinsic and eternal.

2 Corinthians 3:7-11 (AMP):
“For if the ministry that brought death, engraved in letters on stones, came with such glory… will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?”

Christ’s glory far surpasses the temporary glory Moses displayed.

Hebrew & Greek Words #

Key Scriptures #

1. Moses’ Mission:
   “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh…”
   — Exodus 3:10 (AMP)
2. Christ’s Mission:
   “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
   — Luke 19:10 (AMP)
3. Law through Moses:
   “For the Law was given through Moses…”
   — John 1:17 (AMP)
4. Grace through Christ:
   “…but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
   — John 1:17 (AMP)
5. Moses’ Veiled Glory:
   “…the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses…”
   — 2 Corinthians 3:7 (AMP)
6. Christ’s Unveiled Glory:
   “We all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord…”
   — 2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP)

Summary #

Christ: The Fulfilment of Moses’ Prophecy #

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; you shall listen to Him.”
— Deuteronomy 18:15 (AMP)

This Prophet is Christ Himself—the True Deliverer, Teacher, and Saviour.

In Christ,
Shaliach.