" . . . And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua." Numbers 13:16

The name Joshua, or more properly and formally Jehoshua, was a new name given to Oshea the son of Nun. It was one of the names of the Lord God and it was given to Oshea the son of Nun in honor of him to have received such a high name of God from the hand of the Prophet Moses. Jehoshua literally means Jehovah Deliverer or Redeemer and it is the same name as JESUS in the Greek.

"His successor ... who had not hitherto borne the name Jesus ... he [Moses] now called Jesus, bestowing the name upon him as a gift of honor, far greater than any kingly diadem. For Jesus [Joshua] himself, the son of Nave [Nun], bore a resemblance to our Savior ... " ~ Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, Book 1, Chapter 3 Paragraph 5

According to Bishop Eusebius' own understanding, both the names of Jesus [Joshua/Jehoshua] and also the Name Christ [Messiah meaning Anointed of God] were known from the Beginning, and were honored by the inspired prophets (see heading to and contents of Chapter 3, Book 1, of Bishop Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History). As pointed out by Bishop Eusebius, Moses changed he name of Hosea or Oshea the Ephraimite, the son of Nun, purposefully giving him the reserved name by which JESUS the Lord would be know by in mortality. That name was bestowed upon Jehovah by the Father as a 'New Name' that he take upon himself being the single given means of salvation and redemption unto mankind; and that his followers would take upon themelves in witness that they were followers and believers of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and in that redemption he offered, that is that Jesus was the Promised Messiah by and through him whom the world would be redeemed and be saved. Paul references the effect of that premortal anointing and the naming of the Lord thus:

"Wherefore God also hath hightly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knew should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." ~ Philippians 2:9-11

Thus Jesus was NOT named after Joshua the great leader of the Children of Israel into the promised land, but in fact, Joshua was given and took upon himself that special 'New Name' bestowed by the Father upon the son in the premortal world, the name of Jesus, looking forward to that day of his coming. That name of Jesus [Joshua/Jehoshua] meaning in Jehovah is salvation or deliverance of the Savior, was given and known before the earth was as given upon the head of Jehovah by the hand of the Father as his new name by which he would come to save the world in the perfromance of his atonement, sacrifice and death. This is confirmed in Zechariah chapter 3 upon the occasion of the vision of that Judgement Council between Jehovah and Lucifer, Lucifer being there branded by his 'new name' Satan indicating 'he who stood in defiance of God the Father and Jehovah he Son to accurse him'; charging him with such matters as to Satan's desire that his own plan be adopted with him as the Redeemer were he promised to save all and that none would be lost. The name itself 'Joshua' or in it more formal form 'Jehoshua' means 'Jehovah Saves, Redeems or Delivers', implying that in and through Jehovah the Son of God, the salvation and redemption of mankind would be found, and only in and through him and none else was it so given..

This is also confirmed in that from the beginning, Adam, Enoch and Noah knew the Lord by the name of Jesus Chrsit as recorded in the book of Moses, 6:52-53, 7:50-55, and 8:23-24. That many of the prophet did know and prophesy of Jesus Christ by name in the Old Testament era is clearly presented by Bishop Eusebius. Eusebius has access to that great library collect at Caesarea, which likely contained more ancient and more correct writings which had not yet been corrupted with much of the plain statement concering the Messiah by the specific name of Jeses or Jehoshua being know and so prophesied by all th Holy prophets. This in part is seen to be the case in the restoration of the book of Moses, wherein many such reference to Jesus Christ by his various title were know back to the time of Noah and down to the time of Moses. And that these names are mostly removed or substitued for by the hand of the Jews seems quite obvious.

This further establishes that Bishop Esebius' perspective basically correct. Joshua was name after and in the similitude of the Messiah, being given in Jesus name sake Joshua, who would foreshadow and whose life world mirror and parallel the Messiah in many acts of performance uponhis part. And Jesus was not named after Joshua. But Jesus was given that same name by which he became know by the voice of the Father in the judgement council as recorded in Zechariah chapter 3.

Now in this similitude, Joshua was the only one of God's prophet leaders, especially of the Covenant of the Father, unto whom was given 'The Name' by which the Jehovah was called as the redeemer. And thus it was to the very end and purpose to set forth by whose linage the Messiah would come, that of Joshua, he who bore the name sake of the redeeming Lord who would be after all the covenant ancester of Jesus Chrsit, Christ descending from Joshua down through Elimench and his son Mahlon, and that firstbron son of Mahlon's wife Ruth, who by the Law and Order of God, was raised up vicariously by the handof Boaz that the seed of the dead might be not cease in Israel but be carried on. Thus Obed was given to be the rightful and legal heir of the house of Elimelch, that Ephrathite, meaning Ephraimite of Bethlehem.

When one considers the scriptures and the course of events in them, there are many types, similitudes and foreshadowings of the Messiah in the events of the Old Testament. Indeed it may be said that all things did point unto him from the sacrifices and ordinances, to the prophecies of the prophets, to the very events which did foretell even down to the individual lifes of various important characters of the scriptures. For example the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham was a type of that representing the Father's sacrifice of his Only Begotten son. And this was 'family' foreshadowing, for the promised seed of the Messiah would come of them, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and even Joseph.

Joseph of Egypt was a very particular type and a foreshadowing in a vast number of respects as already presented. And this too because the Messiah would be of his promised seed. Why foreshadow if the Messiah is not to come of that particular descent? Thus we may lood to Joshua, the rightful heir to the blessing of Ephraim as Israel by Israel, that blessing passed down by the very mouth and hand of Jacob.

Now like unto Abraham and Isaac, Joshua and Moses were a type and similitude concerning the Father and the Son and that very eternal plan of redemption. In the beginning the Father needed a representative to so lead and redeem his children through the second estate. The Father, like Moses would not enter into the promised estate himself as he did not pertain unto it. Instead he selected one of the sons of the promise, Jehovah, and he did anoint him and given unto him a new name, JESUS or Joshua [Jehoshua]. This is exactly what happened to Joshua. Like Jehovah he was given that very same 'new name', the name of Jesus by the hand of Moses, who in the similitude reperesents God the Father.

Moses did not enter into the promised estate but remained in that prior realm. So it was with God the Father, having already an exalted body of flesh and bone, the Father did not pertain unto the promised second estate. Thus he sent in Jehovah to act in his stead in all things, just as Moses had anointed Joshua to so act in his stead unto the people in all things.

Also according to that gospel plan, the children need to pass through into the new estate at the point of entrance of birth, that was the lowest place of living water on earth, Bethesda. That represented the childrens birth into the promised estate as they passed through those living waters of the Jordon into their promised estate. And just like earth life, the life in the promised land was a strugle and did not come easy but with a war against evil. And further it would be by a 'second birth' brought by he who was also named JESUS, that one would be enable to return back to the Father. And that also was enitially performed by JESUS at the waters of Bethesda.

Also Joshua would stand to rule and Judge the people of Israel in a similitude of that name sake of his seed Jesus would would stand to lead the people. They were both in the respect prophet, priest and king over Israel. And Joshua, that is JESUS, did fill the judgment seat.

It is of little wonder and is easily understood that the ancestral line of Messiah ben Joseph is the line of Joshua the son of Nun. Just how that also fits into Joshua being the ancestor of Messiah ben David, as both are also state to be Ephraimites is to be found in the book of Ruth as previously presented. The only great 'hurdle', if indeed it is such, is the coming to the fact and understanding that Messiah ben David and Messiah ben Joseph are not two separate Messiahes, but are indeed and in fact one and the same Messiah.

Remember, it is the Jews who did imagine themselves two Messiahs and did so divide all the Messianic scriptures between the two. True Christianity knows and understands that there is but one Messiah. This therefore entails the repudiation of the two Messiah theory of the Jews, not ascribing to themselves the murder of the Christ and having so edited and changed the whole matter concerning the Messiah accordingly to set both yet to come and that there would be two. Thus they did discount Jesus Christ as the Messiah, neither Messiah ben David, neither Messiah ben Joseph.

Psalms 132 speaks of the Messiah coming of David. But even the Jewish perspective is that verse 6, "we heard about it in Efrata," is in reference to Joshua from the tribe of Efraim (Zevechim 54b). And this they clearly thus associate Joshua ben Nun togther with Messiah ben Ephraim or Joseph in the waging of the war against evil, that is Amalek.

"God wages war against Amalek from generation to generation" ~ Exodus 17:16

Joshua is a similitude of the Great Warrior Messiah against the forces of evil. The war in heaven persists through the second estate until that final victory. Represented by Amalek and the Amalekites, it is the task of Joshua, Jesus, who is Messiah ben Joseph, to so govern that war and achieve that final victory over the foces of evil which was began in the pre-mortal realm against Satan and his angels.