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Joshua’s Heroic Leadership
October 26, 2025 · 25 min
What was Joshua’s secret to heroic leadership? Find out with Tim Moore and Nathan Jones on Christ in Prophecy Radio!
Series Christ in Prophecy October 26, 2025 · 25 min · Christ in Prophecy
What was Joshua’s secret to heroic leadership? Find out with Tim Moore and Nathan Jones on Christ in Prophecy Radio! ...more Show the full description Show less What was Joshua’s secret to heroic leadership? Find out with Tim Moore and Nathan Jones on Christ in Prophecy Radio!
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0:01 Superhero movies continue to be popular year after year. There's something deeply appealing about the idea of a heroic figure who will stand against evil, protect innocent people, and lead the way to truth and justice.0:13 These characters resonate with audiences because they represent hope in the face of overwhelming odds. But I wonder, do you have a favorite Bible hero? Someone whose courage and faith make even the most celebrated0:24 superheroes pale in comparison. Welcome to Christ in prophecy. I'm Tim Moore, the senior evangelist at Lamb and Lion Ministries, and I'm joined by my cohost Nathan Jones, our Internet evangelist. Nathan, for the past0:36 several episodes, we've enjoyed journeying through the Torah. And today, we turn to the book of Joshua as we continue our series Finding Jesus in the Old Testament.0:45 Joshua is a man who should top any list of Bible heroes. His name is synonymous with strength and courage and leadership at a time when Israel desperately needed a champion. The challenge that lay before0:57 Joshua was following in the footsteps of Moses, a mighty man of God who led the nation for 40 years. While Moses was still in charge, Joshua demonstrated his heroic character when he was selected to go into1:09 the promised land and bring back a report. Joshua was 1 of the only 2 spies who were eager to press forward and seize the promised land, while the other 10 spies discouraged the people with tales of giants and1:21 impossibilities.1:22 You know, sadly, Israel did not follow Joshua's leadership right away, and God sentenced that faithless generation to wander in the wilderness. Only Joshua and Caleb were permitted to enter the land of promise.
1:33 Joshua had the distinct honor of leading the Hebrew nation, but that honor represented an incredible challenge that would test any hero's resolve. Joshua was not perfect. Even superheroes have their flaws. But Joshua
1:45 was a man of consistent dedication and faith, and Joshua's life exemplifies 2 characteristics that are much needed today, strength and courage.
1:54 And at the end of his life, Joshua challenged the Israelites with these memorable words, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Tim, I
2:06 even have that hanging over the door of my house because this declaration bears testimony to Joshua's secret of godly leadership. And we're gonna explore this more in just a minute. In the meantime, Tim and I encourage
2:18 you to go to our website at Christ in Prophecy dot org. We have a wealth of bible prophecy information there to help you in your studies of God's prophetic word. And if this show has been a blessing to you, please click
2:30 that donate button or become a prophecy partner. We'd love to have you join us.
2:36 Here at Christ in Prophecy, we want everyone to know that Jesus is coming back, and he doesn't want his people to be unprepared. So to stay up to date about unfolding events, get a biblical
2:48 perspective on the signs of the times, and dig deeper into God's prophetic word, check out our free biweekly Lamplighter magazine. You could easily sign up to have Lamplighter magazine delivered directly
3:00 to your email inbox when you go to christ in prophecy dot org. Sign up today.
3:07 The book of Joshua opens with a divine commission that would challenge any hero. God called Joshua to step into Moses' big shoes and lead Israel into the promised land. And as we examine Joshua's leadership, we
3:19 can see God's promise pointing us to our ultimate hero, you know him, Jesus Christ.
3:23 You know what's interesting, Nathan, is Jesus and Joshua share many things in common. But 1 of the things they share in common most prominently is their name, because Yeshua, Jesus as we call him, is actually
3:35 Joshua. It's the same name presented differently in the Old Testament than New in our English translation, but Yeshua, Joshua, that was the same name, meaning God is salvation. So
3:47 this man who we are calling the superhero of the Old Testament really points to Christ in more ways than 1. Obviously, we know that Joshua had a divine commission, and yet even this man of great faithfulness
3:59 had to be encouraged, not once, not twice, but 3 times to be strong and courageous. As he takes on the role of leading the people as Moses had done, the Lord God gives him
4:10 encouragement. And even the people said, we will follow you, only be strong and courageous. And so God promises the same to us that he does to Joshua, I will never fail or forsake
4:22 you.
4:22 It's amazing when you think that God promises that I will never leave you nor forsake you, or I never fail you or forsake you, depending on the translation. You know, that's a promise not just for Joshua folks. That's a
4:34 promise to all God's children. That's a promise to you that even though you might have dark times in your life where you feel abandoned and alone, God is there with you. You just have to reach out in prayer. Read the
4:45 Bible and he will speak to you through those words. And then you will know that God is with you. He's championing you. He's marching alongside with you through all your trials and tribulations. Just like Joshua who's
4:56 about to have a big trial and tribulation taking over a rowdy, complainy bunch of about 2000000 people and be their leader and conquer a land filled with giants. Tim, I would not want that job.
5:07 Joshua has big shoes to fill, and frankly, don't know if anybody would be up to that. But we see so many parallels between what the Lord calls Joshua to do with what Jesus Christ ultimately fulfilled and did
5:19 on our behalf. Joshua led his people into the Promised Land. Jesus Christ leads us into the promised land of eternal life. Both Joshua and Christ required strength and courage for their mission.
5:31 Both faced opposition and spiritual warfare, and both called people to choose whom they would serve. Obviously, as you mentioned already, Nathan, Joshua famously said, choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me
5:43 and my house, we will serve the Lord. And that's the choice, frankly,
5:46 that Jesus still gives each and every 1 of us today. We're gonna argue, folks, that he is a type of Christ. He, though not a perfect, obviously he's a fallen man, but his life, there's many similarities that are meant to
5:58 point us to Jesus Christ. The very fact that they both had to deal with opposition that not just physical warfare but spiritual warfare as well as temptations. They also had to choose whom they would serve.
6:09 But there were also some pretty crucial differences between the 2 men too, right?
6:13 There were some crucial differences. As we said, Joshua led Israel to an earthly promised land that was in no way equivalent to eternal salvation, but that's what Christ offers us. Joshua led people,
6:25 through the wilderness for a time, obviously alongside Moses, but he was sort of Moses' right hand man as we understand. And Jesus leads us through this life and all the trials and tribulations we will face as
6:37 long as we stay at his side and follow as he leads. Obviously, know that Joshua's conquest, even of the land, was temporary. He did not, during his time of leadership, succeed in having
6:49 the Jewish people take over the entire promised land. There were certain holdouts in cities that they did not conquer as the people grew weary of of fighting and as they grew more and more acclimated to the culture of
7:01 the Canaanites. But we know that Christ's victory over sin, over death is eternal. So, there are some key differences. We also know, quite frankly, Nathan, that Joshua died. He was not resurrected, but Christ
7:13 who died was indeed resurrected, conquering death itself.
7:17 Amen. And once Joshua set himself to follow the Lord and trust in the Lord, his first big test as a leader was to cross the Jordan River. I've been in the Jordan River. Tim, you have too. You know, if you stand in the
7:28 Jordan River, have these tiny little fish that bite you and all
7:31 can today, you do.
7:32 It's not a big river but it's enough where you know, you you have to do something, build a boat or a bridge or a dam and the Lord stopped the Jordan flowing and the Israelites were able to cross into the promised
7:44 land and it's a picture of what happens when we die. When we die in faith in God, we cross from death to life life you should say, till death and then back to life again because we're given eternal
7:55 life and only Jesus is that bridge that gets us across that river of death.
8:00 You know, that's a great example you give of crossing the river. We know that in that day and age, archaeologists and geologists will tell us that the river tended to get much higher, especially at flood stage, and
8:11 that's the time of the year that they would have crossed, so it was bigger than the little creek that we sometimes think of it as today. But Joshua's instruction to the priest was merely to step out into that water, a a
8:23 step of faith, so to speak, knowing that the Lord had called him to cross the river. And sure enough, as the priest did just that, stepping out, carrying the ark of the covenant, then the waters piled up behind
8:34 them, and they were able to cross over on a dry riverbed. We know that Joshua also commanded that 12 stones be taken from the riverbed of the Jordan River and piled as a
8:46 memorial to be a testimony to future generations. Boy, Nathan, I think that's so important to us. We should share the deliverance of God from all the problems we've faced in the past, the miracles we've seen in our
8:57 lives with those who are younger and coming after us so that they will understand there's nothing new under the sun, but God is faithful. And so whether it's erecting a a pillar of stones or whether it's just sharing our
9:09 own testimony, that's something we should learn from Joshua.
9:12 Well, folks, coming up, we're gonna examine current cultural heroes. We're gonna look at whether or not they live up to the biblical heroes like Joshua.
9:19 Studying bible prophecy is an important practice for Christians who want to mature in their faith. At Lamb and Lion, we've compiled the best resources to help you explore and explain bible prophecy. Our online
9:31 store is stocked with insightful books and charts from authors such as doctor David Reagan, Tim Moore, Nathan Jones, and more. So why not add a good Christian book to your library
9:42 today or order 1 for a friend? Understand bible prophecy better when you visit christ in prophecy dot org.
9:53 Welcome back to Christ in prophecy radio. Nathan and I always enjoy discussing some current events in a segment we call what's really going on. Well, Nathan, as we mentioned earlier, our culture seems to have a
10:04 fascination with superheroes. There have been a number of movies. Goodness, back in the day, there were a number of comic strips and other things that pointed to these superhuman characters who could overcome all the the
10:14 troubles and chaos of this world and serve the the purpose of right and justice. You happen to have seen 1 of the most recent, the the new Superman movie, so tell us why that continues to resonate in our culture
10:26 today.
10:27 Isn't it interesting we have a character, Superman, who was invented about 90 some years ago and yet he still resonates with American culture. Why? Because he's meant to stand for truth, justice and the American way.
10:39 I believe that this new Superman movie, I I love the Christopher Reeve movies, I was a big fan of Smallville when it was out and now we're trying to see reboot the Superman series. Does he still stand for truth,
10:50 justice and the American way? I think the movie did a good job with that. It still showed that there are ideals that are universal. As a society, we're not past truth, we're not past morality as we've been told for the
11:02 last decade. No, there's a return, there's a hunger in our society and we can see it in these new reboots. A desire to see a character, a hero that represents what's good and right.
11:12 You know, 1 of the things I do appreciate about some of the movies is they emphasize the the uplifting Superman as opposed to the dark Superman. I didn't like some of those various movies. But I'll never forget in 1 of
11:24 the later Christopher Reeve versions or scenes, he's literally hovering above the earth and he is able to listen to all of the prayers
11:33 of the earth. Brandon Ruth Superman.
11:34 Yeah. And so it it presented him very much in a Christ like motif where he's hearing the various appeals and prayers, where he's able to have, the ability to see virtually everything on the
11:46 earth. This is pointing to none other than Christ, and I don't wanna make too much of Superman. What I'm pointing to is this desire in the human heart to have someone who is capable of intervening on our behalf, who
11:58 is above all of the the normal chaos and and the moral failure that we see all around us, goodness, Nathan that I see looking in the mirror, but someone who can transcend that and be a superhuman. And
12:10 that's exactly what scripture presents as the real person, not the make believe character, the real person of Jesus Christ.
12:18 You know what's interesting, Tim, is a lot of superheroes were invented by Jewish people, A phenomenon so big that a comic book magazine was reporting on it. It said, why are Jewish people so into superheroes? And it
12:28 says, because even if they're secular, they come with an upbringing of Torah and Torah teaches a messianic figure. There's a longing in their heart for a messiah. Now not a a homemade 1 or an imaginary 1 that
12:40 wears tights and their underwear on the outside of their outfits, but a real genuine divine hero, not flawed like human superheroes, but is perfect and ultimately loving and it all points
12:52 to Jesus. I would say that our current culture obsession with heroes is very similar to what you see in the Roman and Greek time periods with their gods. Their gods were the superheroes of that time and I think
13:04 we've got kind of an unnatural, unhealthy relationship with with superheroes today. But if we look through that, we can still see that on top of that is our love of heroes and our desire for an ultimate hero.
13:16 Our desire for an ultimate hero, and obviously as Superman manifests, I know we're talking about him somewhat, but he is a person who lives among us, who looks like us, and yet comes from somewhere else and has powers
13:28 that transcend human powers. Guess what folks? Jesus, again, not a not a fictional character, a real person, came to live among us. He looked like us, and yet he came from somewhere else and has powers
13:40 that transcend our own. So all of these desires for superheroes point to the 1 who fulfills that heart's desire, the 1 who leads us to salvation and doesn't leave us to
13:52 our own devices here in this world wracked with chaos and destruction. And yet there are so many today who provide a false messiah who want to fill that that desire, that need with their own,
14:04 selfish produced or selfishly produced messiah figure, and there are many, many false messiahs.
14:10 And the bible prophesies in the last days there will be a false messiah. The bible calls him antichrist or the man of lawlessness and many, if not most of the world will fall in line with him. He will have seemingly
14:22 superhuman powers. Matter of fact, some believe that the inherent interest in our superheroes today is preparing the world for an antichrist figure, a possible alien who will show divine powers and be able
14:33 to fix the nations and that people will give over their freedoms hoping that he will provide security. But the Bible prophesies that this antichrist will do anything but he will enslave the entire world. We gotta
14:45 be very wary about false messiahs. There's only 1 real superhero that we should ever look to. Is he the only hero, the ultimate hero, Jesus Christ.
14:53 You know, but there's an application for us even back to the book of Joshua. We recognize that Joshua was not Christ. He was not perfect. We've made that very clear. We'll talk more about him specifically in a minute.
15:04 But Joshua also gives us encouragement that we too can determine to be faithful, to be strong and courageous in this day and age so that we can stand for righteousness.
15:16 And as followers of Christ, the only real superhero that there is, we should be Joshua's in this time and place. So I hope that you all are, and Nathan and I will be right back to continue our
15:28 discussion of Joshua.
15:31 In addition to this broadcast, Christ in Prophecy offers a fascinating weekly TV program that digs deeper into God's prophetic word. Christ in Prophecy TV airs on several networks and online to
15:43 give you a biblical perspective on unfolding events. Find out what's happening with AI, Middle Eastern politics, the United States, and so much more when you watch Christ in Prophecy TV, available
15:54 now at christinprophecy dot org.
15:59 After Joshua led Israel across the Jordan River, he led them on several military victories. But Joshua's victories weren't won by conventional military might. They depended on faith and obedience to God's commands.
16:11 This points us to our greater Joshua, Yeshua Jesus, who wins our battles not through earthly weapons but through spiritual victory.
16:20 You know, I think the most dramatic example of this, Nathan, is the battle of Jericho, a battle that was no battle in some regards because we think of the battle of Jericho that we know that it was a walled city as most
16:30 cities in that day and age were. We know that the walls were mighty and very, very thick. It's talked about how you could drive a chariot around the tops of the walls. So it was very well defended, but God gave a very
16:42 unusual battle strategy. He told the children of Israel under the leadership of Joshua to simply march around the city and to shout. And on the final day, they were to march around and shout, and when
16:54 they shouted, the walls came tumbling down. Scripture also records that there was 1 individual living in Jericho who believed that the Lord God was God, that he was blessing the people
17:06 of Israel, the children of Israel, the Hebrew people as they were known then, and that was Rahab, a non Jew. And so she gave, support and comfort to the spies who had come to
17:18 Jericho, and they said, when we come to take the city, tie this this scarlet thread on the outside or the scarlet sash on the outside of your window, and you will be protected. And so, of her faithfulness
17:29 to the people of God and quite ultimately to God himself, she is even included in the lineage of Christ. What a great story being grafted into God's family, this lady reputed to be a
17:41 prostitute from Jericho. It's a wonderful story.
17:44 She and her family would join the Israelites as they go into the country, and they would proclaim the faith in God throughout the generations. We read about her story to this day. But you know, even though Joshua, we
17:55 believe, is a type of Christ, we're reminded of course that he wasn't perfect. He's a fallen man. He had many victories but unlike Jesus, Joshua wasn't perfect. He's gonna make his mistakes along the way and the first
18:07 mistake he made was called the Gibeonite deception.
18:10 Yeah. After the, the defeated AI, and we say that because the city is named literally AI. Not artificial intelligence. Not artificial intelligence. And and we don't pin this 1 on Joshua necessarily, but his
18:22 leadership was not perfect because he was leading imperfect people. And so, obviously, 1 man disobeyed and and captured and gained some of the, the spoil from that victory. And instead of giving it all over to
18:34 God or destroying it, he hid it for himself. But later, the Gibeonites came to Israel claiming to be from a distant country, and as Joshua 9 describes, Joshua was taken in.
18:46 In other words, without seeking God's guidance, he made a covenant with the men from Gibeon in saying that we will not, overwhelm or possess your country and we will give you essentially a
18:58 peace treaty. And when that deception was discovered, it was too late.
19:02 The Gibeonites, even though they were locals dressed up like they were foreigners, they made their clothes look like they'd walked a long way, that they were hungry and starving and from a distant land was gonna make a a
19:12 covenant with Joshua so as not to be destroyed. Isn't it interesting that Joshua didn't even bother to check with God? He said, okay, yeah, yeah. And I think it showed that Joshua was a good guy, he's concerned about
19:22 these people but when he found out that they were locals and very much against what God said to destroy all the people, So what they had to do is basically turn the Gibeonites into a slave or second class citizens.
19:34 But their lifestyle, their anti God lifestyle would start permeating the Jewish people and drawing them away from the 1 true God.
19:42 You know, the sad thing is that this lesson demonstrates the importance of seeking God's counsel Yes. In all decisions and that sometimes impulsive or rash decisions can have tremendous and long
19:54 lasting consequences and that cause great problem over the long run.
19:57 I did. I did. But there's some prophetic significance to this because it means that every generation must answer what Joshua said, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. So the question is, will you serve
20:09 the Lord, you and your household, or will you be like the people, your faith waning and you give up energy? It's an application to us to make that choice, be committed and have that final choice, that choice
20:21 between Christ or anti Christ, the 1 who saved us or the 1 who wants to bring us to hell. I pray that your family will choose to serve the Lord.
20:29 You know, there's 1 other lesson of application here, Nathan, and I think it's it's poignant for us today. When I take pilgrims to Israel, 1 of the things I ask, so if you ever go with me, just be prepared for this
20:38 question, is who would be an exemplar you would choose to follow or emulate from Scripture? Can't choose Jesus because all of us want to be like Jesus, but it has to be someone who is is merely human and mortal.
20:50 And so a lot of people will say, David. Many people will say, Joshua. I've never had someone say Rahab. And yet, I think, yes, I would like to be like Joshua, faithful and
21:02 always courageous. He had to be encouraged to be strong and courageous, but on the whole, Joshua stands as 1 of these superman kind of figures in the Old Testament pointing to Christ. But Rahab, I think
21:14 most of us can relate to more because in our sin, in our paganness, we were without hope. We were going to be destroyed along with the rest of our society. And yet, because we put our trust
21:25 in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord God has blessed us and grafted us into his family. To me, whether you're man or woman, Rahab is an exemplar worthy of emulation today
21:37 because it doesn't matter what our past is, what our our former sins are. If we trust in the Lord God, the living God of Israel, we too will be saved and grafted into his family.
21:49 Amen. Joshua conquered the physical enemies of Israel, but Jesus conquered our spiritual enemies, sin and death and even Satan himself. Joshua led Israel into the earthly promised land, but Jesus leads us
22:01 into the eternal promised land of heaven. Well, stay with us. Tim's gonna close with a final word of encouragement.
22:08 When you scroll through the daily news, you almost always hear bad news. It's easy to forget that there is anything good happening in the world today. But here at Christ in Prophecy, we want to proclaim the good news
22:20 that Jesus Christ is returning soon. So swipe away the endless bad news and open up our free online Lamplighter magazine to discover your blessed hope. In the Lamplighter magazine,
22:32 we explain why the nations are raging against each other in war, what's really happening in culture, and why you can have hope in Christ. The Lamplighter magazine is available in email, print, and
22:44 downloadable formats. Sign up today at christ in prophecy dot org. The
22:53 book of Joshua teaches us that true heroism isn't found in superhuman strength. It's found in faithful obedience to God's commands and unwavering trust in his promises. Joshua faced giants,
23:04 fortified cities, and seemingly impossible odds. Yet he prevailed because he kept his eyes fixed on the Lord who had saved him. Yet he prevailed because he kept his eyes fixed on the Lord who had called him. In
23:16 our world today, we face challenges that seem just as dawning. We see moral decay, rising persecution of Christians, and a culture that increasingly rejects biblical truth. But like Joshua, we need superhuman
23:28 strength and courage to stand firm in our faith. But we can rely on Jesus Christ, the greater Joshua who has already won the ultimate victory. Joshua conquered Canaan, but Jesus conquered the grave.
23:40 Joshua brought Israel into the earthly promised land, but Jesus brings us into the heavenly promised land. Joshua's victories were temporary, but Jesus' victory is eternal. The same God who told
23:52 Joshua, be strong and courageous, tells us through his Son, in this world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world. As we watch the signs of the times converging around us, we have
24:03 confidence that our hero has already written the final chapter. Jesus Christ will return as the ultimate conquering king, and those who have chosen to serve him will reign with him forever. If that describes you and
24:15 Christ in Prophecy Radio is a blessing to you, we hope you'll partner with us to share that glorious good news, to share the truth of our true superhero with a world that is lost and
24:27 dying, groping in darkness, looking for hope. Finally, I would challenge you with Joshua's own words. Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. Will you trust in the temporary heroes of this world, or will you put
24:39 your faith in Jesus Christ, the eternal hero who saves? The choice is yours. But choose wisely. Eternity hangs in the balance. Until he comes, keep looking up for our redemption draws
24:50 near. Come, Lord Jesus, and Godspeed.
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