Topic: Miracles

Some Christians find themselves saying, “I just don’t see miracles in my life any more. They used to happen when I first got saved but I just am not seeing them in my life anymore. I don’t understand why this has happened.”

I want us to see in this lesson that there is something greater that God has for us than miracles.

I think that most Christians if faced with the choice between miracles and blessings would choose the miracles but we are going to see that blessings are the better choice.

A lot of times we would rather hear the testimony of a miracle rather than the testimony of someone receiving a blessing because in our minds the miracle is more special, dramatic or impressive. But according to the Word of God it is not.

It is God’s desire that we walk in continuous blessing all the time.

Blessings are just as supernatural as miracles. Will we ever get to a place that we don’t need miracles? No.

There is something better than having to live day to day and depending on God to sustain us by miracles.

This was the longest running miracle in the Bible:

Exodus 16:11-18 NKJV And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (12) “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’ ” (13) So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. (14) And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. (15) So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. (16) This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ” (17) Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. (18) So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.

Psalms 78:24-25 NKJV (24) Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven. (25) Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.

Apparently God let man for 40 years eat what angels eat when they choose to eat.

Remember, the angels that came to rescue Lot and his family ate with Lot after much insisting by Lot.

This was a miracle but it was not God’s best for the Children of Israel. If you will recall, it was not God’s original plan for them to stay in the wilderness for 40 years. At the most it should have taken them a year.

Remember when they came up to the border of the Promised Land and sent the spies in to spy out the land and they came back with the clusters of grapes so large it took two men to carry them. But the 10 also came back talking about how they were grasshoppers in the eyes of the giants and then the two came back talking about how little the giants were in light of God and His promises. The 10 convinced the people and so they stayed in the wilderness for another 39 years.

They continued to live in the wilderness eating manna (“what is it?”) and quail for another 39 years.

In the morning they would have manna and in the evening they would have quail. The quail were miraculous because quail do not fly over the wilderness. They fly where there are bushes and trees.

Scholars have stated that there were approximately 3,000,000 Hebrew people. In order to feed them manna every day it required 4,500 tons of manna every morning. To feed them manna over 40 years required 65,700,000 tons of manna. If every person ate one quail per day it would take 3,000,000 quail per day or 90,000,000 quail per month. To provide water for all of the people and livestock would have required 15,000,000 gallons of water every day.

As awesome as all of this was, it was not God’s best for them.

Joshua 5:10-12 NKJV (10) Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. (11) And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. (12) Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.

God’s best was not to live off of the manna every day but was to get to the promised land and live off of the provision and blessings that were there in the promised land.

We have the understanding that if someone sees a miracle it will cause them to want to believe in God. This can happen but it is not always the case.

Remember, the Egyptians saw at least two miracles every single day and yet they still wandered around in doubt and unbelief.

We need to always remember that it is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. The goodness of God can be seen in many different ways.

Definition of a Miracle:

Miracle – a Divine intervention in the ordinary course of nature.

Let’s look at some comparisons between miracles and blessing:

• Miracles are God’s “jump-start” into a life of blessings. It is good when it comes, but we do not want to live on “jump-starts”.
• Miracles come in crisis situations.
• Blessings keep us out of crisis.

Does that mean we will never face a crisis situation? The answer is no. The children of Israel encountered a crisis even after they entered into the Promised Land at Jericho. The Lord still showed up and performed and miracle and caused the walls to fall flat.

• Miracles only come in small amounts – just enough to get you through.

If you try and hoard up a miracle it will rot and not be any good for anyone.

• Blessings always come in abundance.
• A Miracle is just enough for you.

Remember the manna was just enough for those in your tent.

• Blessings are enough so you can start giving to other people.

God is ready for your abundance to become some else’s miracles.

• Miracles can come even when you are in unbelief.

Remember the reason that God began to the manna and the quail was not because He had heard all of their faith confessions.

Exodus 16:12 NKJV (12) “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’ “

• Blessings demand responsibility and obedience to the Word of God.

Isaiah 1:19 NKJV (19) If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;

• Miracles are mainly designed for sinners and immature Christians.

The Children of Israel had come out of Egypt but Egypt had not yet come out of them.

Even though they complained and murmured, God still provided the manna and the quail.

• Miracles are temporary. They last as long as the crisis situation is present but once the need is met or the crisis is over, the miracle ends.

Peter walked on the water ONE time. He would have sunk if he had tried it again. The feeding of the 5000 by Jesus did not continue on and on nor did it spread to everyone all around. It was for those that were present and just at that moment.

• Blessings are eternal.
• Miracles counteract, contradict, and override natural laws.
• Blessings work with natural laws.

Notice God wanted to feed them with the fruit of the earth when they were in their place of blessing. But they had to grow it, mine it.

• In miracles, God works FOR you.
• In the blessings, God works WITH you.

God’s ultimate desire is to bless you according to seedtime and harvest. Meaning that whatever you sow (put your hands to) God will bless and multiply that back to you. God has said in His Word that He will bless the WORK OF YOUR HANDS.

• Miracles are just enough.
• Blessings are always more than enough.
• Miracles are like seedless watermelons.
• Blessings will always keep growing. They can grow and increase as you grow and increase. Seeds sown will always reap more than what was sown.
• Blessings will always work in spite of circumstances.

Isaac sowed in the time of famine and God blessed it and He multiplied in spite of the circumstances (famine) that was in the land. This was not a miracle because Isaac did his part in obedience to the Lord and God worked with him.

Notice God’s plan is not that we live in the miracles of Abraham but the blessing of Abraham which is what was working in Isaac’s life to cause the harvest to come in the time of famine.

Blessings do not have to be sought after. God has designed blessings to seek after you.

Deuteronomy 28:2 NKJV And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:

Blessings can outlive you. Blessings are supposed to be passed on to others who need a miracle in their life. Your blessings can be a source of someone else’s miracle and are supposed to be passed on to your children and grandchildren.

Psalms 91:1-16 NKJV He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (2) I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (3) Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. (4) He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (5) You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, (6) Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. (7) A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. (8) Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. (9) Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, (10) No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; (11) For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. (12) In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. (13) You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. (14) “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. (15) He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. (16) With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”

The 91^st Psalm was not written by David; it was written by Moses.

Exodus 13:17-22 NKJV Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” (18) So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. (19) And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.” (20) So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. (21) And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. (22) He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

God was going to take them around the Philistines because they were not yet ready for warfare. Even though God promised that He would fight their battles, it was always with the intention that He would fight WITH them.

Then they carried the bones of Joseph out with them per Joseph’s command some 443 years earlier.

Genesis 50:25-26 NKJV Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” (26) So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Joseph was never buried and the Children of Israel kept his remains before them the entire time they were in slavery because it reminded them of the promise of God that they would be delivered.

They had no Bible or prophet but they could remember the last words of Joseph. They had to teach their children what the coffin meant and the promise with it.

It does not matter if it takes 440 years, God’s Word will come to pass.

Joshua 24:32 NKJV The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph.

How important it is to pass on the Word of God to our children and their children so that they will have the promises that you stood on that brought deliverance in your life.

You are not going to have a better world to give to your kids, because the world is not going to get any better. What we ought to be doing is raising up better kids to give to the world.

The cloud by day and the fire by night was a pre-incarnate visitation of the Lord Jesus.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 NKJV (1) Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, (2) all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, (3) all ate the same spiritual food, (4) and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

God leads the people to the edge of the Red Sea between two mountains. It looked like they were going to be trapped by their enemies but God had a plan to turn it on their enemies and make a trap for them.

Exodus 14:1-4 NKJV Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. (3) For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ (4) Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.

When you come these places and you know that have been obedient and are in the will of God, just know that it is not a trap for you but rather a trap for the enemy.

Psalms 91:8 NKJV Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.

Egypt is a type of your life before you were Born Again. You were in bondage and slavery to the enemy, but a Deliverer has come and brought you out.

The wilderness represents our growth process in the Lord where we learn to trust the Lord.

The Promised Land is the overcoming, victorious life that we have in Christ.

Exodus 14:5-10 NKJV Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” (6) So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. (7) Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. (8) And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. (9) So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. (10) And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.

Notice the Children of Israel cried out to the Lord but they cried out to the Lord in fear and not in faith.

Always cry out to the Lord in faith!

Exodus 14:11-12 NKJV Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? (12) Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

The promises came before they were ever born that they would be brought out and be delivered. They forgot the promises as soon as the pressure came.

How often have we done this? We knew the promises of God but when pressure came, we thought life was over.

God spoke over us before we were ever born because He knew what He has called us to be in Christ Jesus. He did all of this just so He could bring us to the place where He could kill us?

How could they doubt after seeing all of the miracles they had just seen? They had very little faith at this point.

The people were delivered mostly because of the faith of Moses.

Miracles do not produce faith – the Word of God does. Faith comes from the promise.

Only one thing can carry you – “It is written.”

Jesus was tempted to do miracles but He spoke the Word instead.

Exodus 14:13-20 NKJV And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. (14) The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (15) And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. (16) But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. (17) And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. (18) Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” (19) And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. (20) So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

God then splits the Red Sea by a wind that blew all night long so that the Sea bottom would be dry for them to walk upon.

Exodus 14:23-31 NKJV And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. (24) Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. (25) And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.” (26) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” (27) And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. (28) Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. (29) But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. (30) So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. (31) Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.

When you set your spiritual eyes on the Lord, you no longer see the problem but Him as your answer and then you will see the manifestation of the answer.

Exodus 14:25 NKJV And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”

Exodus 14:25 AMPC And bound (clogged, took off) their chariot wheels, making them drive heavily; and the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians!

How did the Egyptians get bogged down in the middle of the Red Sea bed so that their wheels fell off?

Psalms 77:16-20 NKJV The waters saw You, O God; The waters saw You, they were afraid; The depths also trembled. (17) The clouds poured out water; The skies sent out a sound; Your arrows also flashed about. (18) The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook. (19) Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, And Your footsteps were not known. (20) You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

There was a thunder storm and it rained and caused the dry sea bed to become muddy.

Exodus 15:1-21 NKJV Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: “I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! (2) The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him. (3) The LORD is a man of war; The LORD is His name. (4) Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. (5) The depths have covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone. (6) “Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. (7) And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. (8) And with the blast of Your nostrils The waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea. (9) The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, My hand shall destroy them.’ (10) You blew with Your wind, The sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters. (11) “Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? (12) You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them. (13) You in Your mercy have led forth The people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength To Your holy habitation. (14) “The people will hear and be afraid; Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. (15) Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; The mighty men of Moab, Trembling will take hold of them; All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away. (16) Fear and dread will fall on them; By the greatness of Your arm They will be as still as a stone, Till Your people pass over, O LORD, Till the people pass over Whom You have purchased. (17) You will bring them in and plant them In the mountain of Your inheritance, In the place, O LORD, which You have made For Your own dwelling, The sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established. (18) “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.” (19) For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. (20) Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. (21) And Miriam answered them: “Sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!”

Here is the difference between Moses and the Children of Israel:

Psalms 103:7 KJV (7) He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

John 9:1-7 NKJV Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. (2) And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (3) Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. (4) I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. (5) As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (6) When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. (7) And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

John 9:2-4 MSG His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” (3) Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.

Dake’s Commentary

a    [Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents] Neither: all the theories of reincarnation, preexistent sins, physical infirmities proving personal sin is involved, and all fallacies that go with such paganism are unscriptural. Personal and immediate sin is not necessarily involved in the imperfection of reproduction. Mental, moral, and physical wrecks are caused by the fall and sin of man, by Satanic powers (Eph_2:1-3; Luk_13:16; Act_10:38), by continued depravities and sin, by imperfect and undeveloped cells, and by overwork, worry, accidents, and violation of natural laws.

b    [but that the works of God should be made manifest in him] This was not the cause of his blindness, but a simple declaration that the works of God were to be manifest regardless of the cause. Jesus answered their question as to whether the man or his parents had sinned. He did not state the cause, but it is certain God was not the cause. God was the healer, and Satan was back of the cause (Mat_12:22; Act_10:38; Joh_10:10; 1Jn_3:8).

John 9:3 CEV “No, it wasn’t!” Jesus answered. “But because of his blindness, you will see God work a miracle for him.

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The Passover Lamb

Always remember in all these things, as we look back on them, that they point to the true Passover Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 NKJV (7) Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. (8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The first time that the Children of Israel partook of the Passover meal was while they were in Egypt looking forward to their deliverance. Every time after that, they looked back at what the Lord had done to deliver them from their bondage.

When the disciples partook of the Passover meal with Jesus, they were looking forward to what the Lord was going to do through Jesus on the cross. When we receive the communion table, we are looking back on what the Lord did to deliver us from our bondage.

The Passover Instructions from Exodus:

Exodus 12:1-15 NKJV Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, (2) “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. (3) Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. (4) And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. (5) Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. (6) Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. (7) And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. (8) Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (9) Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire–its head with its legs and its entrails. (10) You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. (11) And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So, you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. (12) ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. (13) Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (14) ‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. (15) Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.

A brief chronology of the Passover Feast and Feast of Unleavened Bread:

• The Passover Lamb had to be killed sometime between the evenings of the 14^th day of the first month and everyone stayed in that night.
• For seven days following Passover is the feast of unleavened bread.
• The first Sunday in the week of unleavened bread is called First fruits.
• Fifty days after that is the Feast of Pentecost. There is a three-month break.
• Then there are three feasts in the fall: Trumpets, Atonements, and Tabernacles
• Jesus was crucified on Passover. He was resurrected on First Fruits. The priests would go into the fields and inspect the brand-new crops and look and see how good they were. They would then wave them before the Lord, signifying that the rest of the crop was going to be OK.
• While they were waving them in the air, Jesus was resurrected guaranteeing that the rest of the crop was going to be OK.

Instructions For Passover:

God instructs every man to select for his household a lamb without spot or blemish on the 10^th day of the first month of the year. He is to observe the lamb for five days to make sure there is nothing wrong with him.

On the 14^th day of the month, he is to bring the lamb to the doorstep and kill it. As he kills the animal he catches the blood in a basin at the foot of the doorstep.

He then takes a hyssop bush, dip it into the blood, and sprinkle the blood on both sides of the doorpost and then above the doorpost. Hyssop was a reed plant that contained water and when it is dipped in blood and the doorposts were struck with it, blood and water would come out of it. There will be blood at the foot of the door, both sides of the door, and at the top of the door. The entire entrance to the house will be covered by blood.

This is to be done on the evening of the 14^th. The Hebrew day begins at 6:00 in the evening. So, they had to kill the lambs around 3:00 in the afternoon of the 14^th day in order to eat the meal by 6:00. When 3:00 arrives, Hebrew knives flash against the Egyptian sun, as the lambs are killed, and the blood applied. The family then enters the house through the blood-stained door. Safe inside, they roast the lamb and eat it as they wait for the final plague of death to move through the land.

Remember, there are literally tens of thousands of people killing lambs and sprinkling the blood, ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

Can you imagine what it would be like and smell like if all the residents of a city with a population of approximately 2 million people decided to go out in the back yard and grill steaks. You could smell the steaks and see the smoke for miles.

As the scent of the smoke ascended up, it reached the very nostrils of God. It was the evidence to God that the blood, representing the covenant relationship with Abraham’s descendants, had been applied.

Then the covenant meal was consumed to celebrate the communion of that covenant.

Exodus 12:46 NKJV In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones.

In preparing the meal, not one bone of the lamb was to be broken and the whole lamb was to be consumed. Nothing could be left over until the next day. Anything that the family could not eat was to be burned immediately.

Along with the lamb, the family also ate bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The bitter herbs were to remind them of their bitter times in bondage under Pharoah. The unleavened bread would remind them they were eating on the run and did not have time to properly prepare the bread with all the ingredients.

They ate the meal fully clothed with staff in hand ready to depart.

While the family was in the house, they could not see the blood covering, but they had the faith that God would save them because of it.

As they ate their meal, the angel of death swept through the land. As he passed from house to house and door to door, he sought to enter the house. If the entrance was covered by the blood, the death angel could not get in but had to pass over that house. The blood was a seal protecting the people inside. If the entrance was not covered by blood, judgment would come upon that house and the first-born died.

As the Hebrew nation walked out of Egypt, each family had in them a whole lamb. Every individual family member had feasted on the same lamb and he was in each of them.

When the Hebrews offered up the blood of the lamb to God, they believed they were symbolically offering their own life to God. They knew the life of the flesh was in the blood.

In this time of deliverance, the blood-sprinkled doorpost became their altar, and the lamb took their place.

The Covenant Meal

God established the Passover Meal as an ordinance to be kept year after year, from generation to generation. It would be an everlasting memorial to their deliverance from bondage in Egypt.

The House Cleaning

Before the Passover could begin, all the leaven was to be removed from the Hebrew’s house. The leaven represented their old life in Egypt. Their house had to be purged of the leaven because their could be no leaven present as they communed with God.

The Head of the House would take a lighted candle and diligently search through every nook and cranty of the house looking for the leaven. If they found any it must be removed from the house immediately.

The modern Hebrew practices this same tradition as someone spreads crumbs of unleavened bread around the house. The Head of the Household then takes a candle and searches the house for the leaven. When he finds it, he is careful not to touch it. He has a feather and brushes it into a wooden spoon. Once all of the leaven is found, he puts the spoon, feather and candle in a cloth bound by string and burns it. Now the household is purged from all of the leaven.

Partaking of the meal

The family reclines at the table seated in order around the head of the house. The Head is responsible for explaining the meaning of the Passover to the children. When they ask, he replies, (Exodus 12:26-27 NKJV) And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ (27) that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’ ” So, the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

The Cup

When God made His covenant with Abraham, He made three promises:

1. Many Descendents
2. Descendents would possess the land
3. There was a seed of Abraham that was coming who would be a blessing to whole world

The “coming one” would not only be their king, but somehow in a way that they did not fully understand, he would be “God living among them.” He would be their God and they would be His people.

After they possessed the land, they began to look for the fulfillment of that last promise.

They anticipated His coming.

They placed a cup at the end of the table called the “cup of blessing.” According to tradition, when he would come, he would drink of “the cup” and cut a new covenant with is people. So they left a place looking forward to this time.

They also set aside a cup for Elijah. They believed Elijah would come and announce the coming of the king. He would prepare the people for the coming of the king. At the beginning of the covenant meal, the youngest of the family would open the door and invite Elijah to come in and join them in the meal. The entire family would stand and say, “Blessed is he that cometh.” But he does not come. So the youngest returns to his place at the table.

The family would then recite the following prayer: “How long, O Lord, how long wilt thy anger not be turned away from thy people Israel and will you have mercy and restore us again to they favor? Behold our sufferings: we are scattered among the heathen and they mock us saying: where is your God, and where is the promise of his coming? We grow faint, yet we hope.”

The Bread

Instead of putting unleavened bread on the plate, they began to put it in a small bag embroidered with gold thread. Three pieces of unleavened bread were placed in three compartments in the bag, one in each compartment. During the meal, the host would take out the middle piece of bread, break it and pass it around the table. Each member would then break off a piece and eat it. They believed that this center piece symbolized Isaac who was sacrificed although they never fully understood it because he was never sacrificed.

Temple Passover

Later when the temple was built, instead of killing the lambs at the doorpost, they would bring them to Jerusalem and kill them at the temple. It became a time of great joy and celebration.

The Levites would lead the people in singing as they sacrificed at the Temple.

When the Hebrew came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, he could buy a lamb already set aside for sacrifice. It was a lamb that had been closely inspected and without spot or blemish. It was a lamb that they found no fault in because it was born to die as a Passover Lamb.

Arriving for Passover the Killing of the Lambs

You arrive at Jerusalem and you see the temple off in the distance.

There is a lot of activity as people are preparing for the Passover.

Josephus the Jewish historian recorded that there would be about 265,000 Passover lambs that would be sacrificed.

Imagine at 3:00 on the 14^th day, all of those lambs being killed at for the next couple of hours.

The Levites would line up in rows with a basin in his hand to catch the blood, just like the threshold in the original Passover.

You would then prepare the Passover meal as instructed and receive it.

The New Covenant

John 1:19-29 NKJV Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” (20) He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” (21) And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” (22) Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” (23) He said: “I am ‘THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS: “MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,” ‘ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (24) Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. (25) And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (26) John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. (27) It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” (28) These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (29) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

On the 10^th day of the Passover month, Jesus makes His entrance into Jerusalem.

John 12:12-15 NKJV The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, (13) took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’ The King of Israel!” (14) Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: (15) “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SITTING ON A DONKEY’S COLT.”

For five days, the religious leaders observe Him and find nothing wrong with Him. He is spotless and without blemish. They find no fault because He was born to die as the Passover Lamb.

On the evening of the 14^th, a room is prepared, and Jesus and His disciples receive the Passover meal together.

At 9:00 that morning, as the lambs were being prepared for the sacrifice, Jesus was nailed to a cross. The third hour was 9:00 in the morning.

At 3:00 as the people sang praises to God, the lambs are slaughtered. As the shouts of hallelujah and praise the lord rig out, on Calvary Jesus died. Just like the doorpost back in Egypt, the blood of the lamb covered the cross.

Not one bone of His body was broken just as the instructions were in the Passover.

The entire lamb was consumed in the fires of judgment of God as He was our sin substitute.

The Jews, not knowing that they were fulfilling another prophecy, hurriedly took down His body before 6:00, so that there would be nothing left the next day.

The hyssop bush carries water though its stem. When the blood was applied, water and blood would flow together so the entrance of the house was actually sealed with blood and water.

The High Priest would have to pass by the blood of the altar and the water of the laver.

When the Temple was built, blood drained in basins underneath the altar. Water flowed through these basins carrying the blood outside the Temple so that the people could see that their sacrifice had been accepted.

When they pierced Jesus’ side, water and blood flowed out.

1 Peter 1:18-19 NKJV knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Revelation 5:1-14 NKJV And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. (2) Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” (3) And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. (4) So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. (5) But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” (6) And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. (7) Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. (8) Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (9) And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, (10) And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” (11) Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, (12) saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (13) And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (14) Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

It is God that allowed the judgment or curse to come on the Egyptians, but it is also the same God that preserved and protected the Children of Israel in the midst of the plagues.

It really does not come down to Israelites or Egyptians, because as the Egyptians repented and accepted the God of the Hebrews, the curse was removed from them. It really comes to believers and unbelievers; the just and the unjust.

God always gives grace and mercy for repentance before judgment comes. God gave the Egyptians time (400 years) to repent before the plagues began.

The Children of Israel were protected from the plagues that came upon the Egyptians as they lived in the land of Goshen.

We can see the same scenario in the flood of Noah and how God protected the righteous in the ark. God “sent” or allowed the flood to come on the unjust because of their wickedness. They were given 100 years to repent.

The dwelling of the righteous will be protected!

Wicked people are always exposed to the curse because they are wicked and separated from God.

Summary of the 10 Plagues that came upon the Egyptians:

Here are the Biblical passages on the individual plagues.

1. Water to Blood

Exodus 7:14-25 NKJV So the LORD said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. (15) Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. (16) And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear! (17) Thus says the LORD: “By this you shall know that I am the LORD. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. (18) And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.” ‘ ” (19) Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ” (20) And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. (21) The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. (22) Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said. (23) And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. (24) So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. (25) And seven days passed after the LORD had struck the river.

2. Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15 NKJV And the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (2) But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. (3) So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. (4) And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.” ‘ ” (5) Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” (6) So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. (7) And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt. (8) Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the LORD that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.” (9) And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.” (10) So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. (11) And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.” (12) Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. (13) So the LORD did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. (14) They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. (15) But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said.

3. Gnats or Lice

Exodus 8:16-19 NKJV So the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ” (17) And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. (18) Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. (19) Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.

4. Flies

Exodus 8:20-29 NKJV And the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (21) Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. (22) And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. (23) I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.” ‘ ” (24) And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies. (25) Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.” (26) And Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? (27) We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” (28) So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.” (29) Then Moses said, “Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the LORD, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

5. Livestock Diseased

Exodus 9:1-7 NKJV Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (2) For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, (3) behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep–a very severe pestilence. (4) And the LORD will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.” ‘ ” (5) Then the LORD appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.” (6) So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. (7) Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.

6. Boils

Exodus 9:8-12 NKJV So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. (9) And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” (10) Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. (11) And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. (12) But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

7. Thunder and Hail

Exodus 9:13-35 NKJV Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me, (14) for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. (15) Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. (16) But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. (17) As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. (18) Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. (19) Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.” ‘ ” (20) He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. (21) But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field. (22) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt–on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” (23) And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. (24) So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. (25) And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. (26) Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail. (27) And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. (28) Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” (29) So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. (30) But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God.” (31) Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. (32) But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops. (33) So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. (34) And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. (35) So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

8. Locusts

Exodus 10:1-20 NKJV Now the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, (2) and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.” (3) So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (4) Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. (5) And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. (6) They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians–which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. (7) Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” (8) So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. Who are the ones that are going?” (9) And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.” (10) Then he said to them, “The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. (11) Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence. (12) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land–all that the hail has left.” (13) So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. (14) And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. (15) For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt. (16) Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. (17) Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only.” (18) So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD. (19) And the LORD turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. (20) But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

9. Darkness

Exodus 10:21-29 NKJV Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” (22) So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. (23) They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. (24) Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you.” (25) But Moses said, “You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. (26) Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the LORD our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.” (27) But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. (28) Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!” (29) So Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.”

10. Death of the Firstborn

Exodus 11:1-10 NKJV And the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. (2) Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” (3) And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. (4) Then Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; (5) and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. (6) Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. (7) But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ (8) And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger. (9) But the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” (10) So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

Notes about the miracles:

• The first nine miracles were performed by God through Moses. The tenth happened without Moses help.
• The first three miracles were designed to get Pharaoh’s attention.
• The first three plagues hit Egypt and Israel at the same time. Why? Because the Israelites were divided but afterwards they were unified in their belief in God.
• The magicians were able to imitate the first two plagues but could not imitate the third. By the fourth miracle they were ashamed or humiliated and by the sixth, they told Pharaoh that these things were happening by the hand of God.
• In each of the three groups, the first two were announced so that Pharaoh knew that it was coming. Numbers three, six and nine, he did not know was coming.
• When the tenth plague came, the Children of Israel were spared because there was a sacrificial substitute for them. This was the Passover lamb. Jesus is our Passover Lamb and because of His sacrifice, we can be spared the penalty of sin.
• The tenth plague came about simply to finally get the people out of Egypt.

The purpose of the plagues was for the one, true God, to totally discredit ten major gods of the people of Egypt. He took what they worshipped and made them detestable.

God challenged their arrogance.

Exodus 18:8-12 NKJV And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. (9) Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. (10) And Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. (11) Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.” (12) Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

Prior to this time, Jethro already knew the Lord because of Moses, but now he knows that God is greater than all gods.

This is the same things as Christians being willing to acknowledge other gods in the earth.

Numbers 33:3-4 NKJV They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. (4) For the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had killed among them. Also on their gods the LORD had executed judgments.

Isaiah 19:1 NKJV The burden against Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.

To the Egyptians, everything that had life in it was a god to them.

• Major gods were light and water.
• The Nile River and the Sun were worshipped every morning.
• Minor gods were sustained by light and water. (snakes, beetles, bugs, etc.)

Exodus 7:1-12 NKJV So the LORD said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. (2) You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. (3) And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. (4) But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. (5) And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” (6) Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the LORD commanded them, so they did. (7) And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. (8) Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (9) “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ” (10) So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. (11) But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. (12) For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

Notice that Satan can perform miracles as well. How do we know if the miracles that we are seeing are from Satan or are from the Lord? The miraculous at the hand of God will always exalt the Lord Jesus, His blood, and will draw people to Him. Miracles by any other way will always glorify man or someone else.

Matthew 24:24 NKJV For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Matthew 24:24 MSG Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better.

What we need to make sure that we understand after this lesson is:

• There is a curse already rendered on sin.
• Evil men apart from God are open to the curse of sin that is in the earth.
• Jesus came to be our substitute and pay the price of the wages of sin.
• Once you have been Born Again and are in Christ, the curse is removed.
• You can choose to open yourself up to the curse by your decisions.
• God does judge but only after many opportunities to repent and avoid the judgment.
• The judgment of God is simply when one is exposed directly to the holiness of God without the benefit of His mercy. Sinful flesh will not be able to stand in the presence of our Holy God.

Acts 20:26-27 NKJV (26) Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. (27) For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

Acts 20:27 AMP (27) For I never shrank or kept back or fell short from declaring to you the whole purpose and plan and counsel of God.

I must take the time to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Romans 6:21-23 NKJV (21) What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (22) But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 AMP (23) For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.

Notice there is a fruit or wage that sin pays. The result of sin will always be death. There is no way around it.

Sin has already been judged and it has been determined that it carries the death penalty with no hope of appeal as in our justice system.

For the person outside of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, there is direct exposure to the verdict that has already been rendered on sin (judgment for sin).

For the believer, you can still pay this price but it will be because of the decisions that we make to be disobedient and live in sin and thus we allow the enemy to bring destruction into our lives because we go outside of God’s protection.

This does not mean that the attacks of the enemy that come upon us all are a result of sin. What we are talking about are the effects of death or the curse that is in our lives on a consistent basis.

Psalms 34:19 NKJV (19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

The Bible and Bible prophecy can be greatly misunderstood if the proper rules of Bible interpretation are not used when you are studying it.

You cannot ignore prophecy in the Bible because 1 in 3 scriptures in the Bible is prophecy.

Just because people get prophecy wrong does not mean that we don’t need to give it the attention that we should.

Examples of this very thing:

A lot of the regulations and laws that God gave the Children of Israel in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were designed to provide the people with good hygiene practices. They were to help keep them free from sickness and disease that comes from lack of sanitary practices that would come from living in close quarters like tent cities. There were instructions about health laws and what to do with your garbage and sewage.

The people of the Middle Ages disregarded a lot of these practices and because of this, the rats and fleas, etc. that were rampant in the day sunk the entire known world into the greatest times of sickness and disease and killed 1 in 3 people in Europe. This largely contributed to the beginning of the Dark Ages.

It will cost you to disregard the Word of God and not give it the attention that you should.

We cannot afford to “blow off” a part of the Word of God, even if we don’t fully understand it.

Rules of interpretation that we are to follow:

1. In His dealings with humanity, God divides people up into three categories: The Jews, the Gentiles, and the Church.

1 Corinthians 10:32 NKJV (32) Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,

When looking at Bible prophecy, you must ask yourself the question, is God talking to the Jews, the Gentiles, or the Church.

2. In reading Bible Prophecy, you must understand that God will never punish the righteous with the wicked.

Nahum 1:2 NKJV (2) God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; The LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies;

1 Thessalonians 5:9 NKJV (9) For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

God does not order His children to taste of His wrath.

Genesis 18:25 NKJV (25) Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

When God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He sent angels in to remove the righteous ones from the cities beforehand.

This is a spiritual principle.

3. That which has been, shall be again.

If there is something that the Bible says is going to come to pass, there is a reference to it in the Scripture happening before.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 NKJV (9) That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.

• • • There is reference in Jeremiah 3, Jeremiah 31, and Isaiah to an Exodus of Jews that will come out of Russia that will be greater than the Exodus coming out of Egypt. There is not just one Exodus but two.
    • The Bible talks about the Tribulation period and the fact that the antichrist will push people to take a mark on the forehead or right hand that will be an act of worship to him.

4. Numbers are important in the Bible.

According to Revelation, 6 is the number for man. Three is the number for God. When you have three sixes it is obviously a reference to man saying, “I am God.”

• • • Nebuchadnezzar built the statue of himself and wanted the people to worship it. It was 60 cubits high, 6 cubits wide and it was worshipped when 6 musical instruments were played.
    • When David went out to fight Goliath, Goliath had a spear that weighed 600 shekels, he stood 6 cubits and 6 pieces of armor but David beat him.

5. In the Bible that are symbolic terms that are used.

Jesus made reference to the fig tree.

Hosea 9:10 NKJV (10) “I found Israel Like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers As the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal Peor, And separated themselves to that shame; They became an abomination like the thing they loved.

Trees are symbols of nations.

6. You must always be aware of who is doing the talking and how credible they are as a source of information.

The Bible is not literally true in the sense that every statement is a statement of truth.

The Bible is inspired by God and is truly stated but it is not a book where every statement in it is truth. You must consider the source.

7. Some things are truly stated in the Bible, but they are not statements of truth.

Example: The Pharisees said that Jesus was a blasphemer; Satan’s throne will be exalted above God’s throne.

8. God always has the best idea the first time around.

When you can establish a principle of truth in the Bible, it will remain throughout the rest of the Bible. It will not change as the Dispensations change. It is based on the immutability of God.

9. You cannot use a minor revelation from the Bible to interpret a major revelation.

You may begin interpreting the New Testament in light of the Old Testament.

10. When you interpret the Scripture, you always use the greatest light you that have to bring light on that particular subject.

As we uncover principles in the Old Testament, they should hold true throughout the entire Bible unless the New Testament gives us more revelation on the subject.

For Example:

Job 1:21 NKJV And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

John 10:10 NKJV The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Since the book of Job was written, we then have all of the books of the Old Testament after it and then of course the New Testament. What most of the Church does, however, is interpret the rest of the Bible in light of the Book of Job, including the New Testament.

We are trying to interpret the entire character of God in the New Testament based upon the very first book written in the Old Testament, the book of Job.

Romans 11:22 NKJV (22) Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

One thing that we need to remember about the story of the Children of Israel, is that the Egyptians kidnapped the people (God’s firstborn).

Exodus 4:22 KJV (22) And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

God takes the mistreatment of His people very seriously. He wanted it stopped.

Acts 9:1-19 NKJV Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest (2) and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (3) As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. (4) Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (5) And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (6) So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (7) And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. (8) Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. (9) And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. (10) Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” (11) So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. (12) And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” (13) Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. (14) And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” (15) But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. (16) For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (17) And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (18) Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. (19) So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

It is God that allowed the judgment or curse to come on the Egyptians, but it is also the same God that preserved and protected the Children of Israel in the midst of the plagues.

It really does not come down to Israelites or Egyptians, because as the Egyptians repented and accepted the God of the Hebrews, the curse was removed from them. It really comes to believers and unbelievers; the just and the unjust.

God always gives grace and mercy for repentance before judgment comes. God gave the Egyptians time (400 years) to repent before the plagues began.

The Children of Israel were protected from the plagues that came upon the Egyptians as they lived in the land of Goshen.

We can see the same scenario in the flood of Noah and how God protected the righteous in the ark. God “sent” or allowed the flood to come on the unjust because of their wickedness. They were given 100 years to repent.

The dwelling of righteous will be protected!

Wicked people are always exposed to the curse because they are wicked and separated from God.

Not every destruction in the earth is caused by Satan. It could be that evil people have brought the penalty of sin into their own lives as God has declared that it would be. It could be the simple fact that we live in a planet that is bearing the curse of sin in it. This is something that it was never designed to do.

Sometimes, however, in the lives of believers, the enemy can come as we allow him because of our disobedience.

Let’s look at when believers get into disobedience and destruction comes.

• When the Children of Israel were in the wilderness and the serpents came into the camp, who sent them? Was it God? No, because it was the camp of the righteous, they were protected from God’s judgment, so Satan sent the serpents. God provided a way of healing for them.
• When Ananias and Sapphira died, who was responsible for their deaths? Was it God? No, their disobedience opened the door for death to come into their lives and it killed them.

Acts 5:1-11 NKJV But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. (2) And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (3) But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? (4) While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” (5) Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. (6) And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. (7) Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. (8) And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.” (9) Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” (10) Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. (11) So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

When we are believers, and if the curse it persistent in our lives, it is we who are opening the door for those things.

Acts 20:26-27 NKJV (26) Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. (27) For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

Acts 20:27 AMP (27) For I never shrank or kept back or fell short from declaring to you the whole purpose and plan and counsel of God.

I must take the time to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Romans 6:21-23 NKJV (21) What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (22) But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 AMP (23) For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.

Notice there is a fruit or wage that sin pays. The result of sin will always be death. There is no way around it.

Sin has already been judged and it has been determined that it carries the death penalty with no hope of appeal as in our justice system.

For the person outside of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, there is direct exposure to the verdict that has already been rendered on sin (judgment for sin).

For the believer, you can still pay this price but it will be because of the decisions that we make to be disobedient and live in sin and thus we allow the enemy to bring destruction into our lives because we go outside of God’s protection.

This does not mean that the attacks of the enemy that come upon us all are a result of sin. What we are talking about are the effects of death or the curse that is in our lives on a consistent basis.

Psalms 34:19 NKJV (19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

The Bible and Bible prophecy can be greatly misunderstood if the proper rules of Bible interpretation are not used when you are studying it.

You cannot ignore prophecy in the Bible because 1 in 3 scriptures in the Bible is prophecy.

Just because people get prophecy wrong does not mean that we don’t need to give it the attention that we should.

Examples of this very thing:

A lot of the regulations and laws that God gave the Children of Israel in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were designed to provide the people with good hygiene practices. They were to help keep them free from sickness and disease that comes from lack of sanitary practices that would come from living in close quarters like tent cities. There were instructions about health laws and what to do with your garbage and sewage.

The people of the Middle Ages disregarded a lot of these practices and because of this, the rats and fleas, etc. that were rampant in the day sunk the entire known world into the greatest times of sickness and disease and killed 1 in 3 people in Europe. This largely contributed to the beginning of the Dark Ages.

It will cost you to disregard the Word of God and not give it the attention that you should.

We cannot afford to “blow off” a part of the Word of God, even if we don’t fully understand it.

Rules of interpretation that we are to follow:

1. In His dealings with humanity, God divides people up into three categories: The Jews, the Gentiles, and the Church.

1 Corinthians 10:32 NKJV (32) Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,

When looking at Bible prophecy, you must ask yourself the question, is God talking to the Jews, the Gentiles, or the Church.

2. In reading Bible Prophecy, you must understand that God will never punish the righteous with the wicked.

Nahum 1:2 NKJV (2) God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; The LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies;

1 Thessalonians 5:9 NKJV (9) For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

God does not order His children to taste of His wrath.

Genesis 18:25 NKJV (25) Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

When God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He sent angels in to remove the righteous ones from the cities beforehand.

This is a spiritual principle.

3. That which has been, shall be again.

If there is something that the Bible says is going to come to pass, there is a reference to it in the Scripture happening before.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 NKJV (9) That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.

• • • There is reference in Jeremiah 3, Jeremiah 31, and Isaiah to an Exodus of Jews that will come out of Russia that will be greater than the Exodus coming out of Egypt. There is not just one Exodus but two.
    • The Bible talks about the Tribulation period and the fact that the antichrist will push people to take a mark on the forehead or right hand that will be an act of worship to him.

4. Numbers are important in the Bible.

According to Revelation, 6 is the number for man. Three is the number for God. When you have three sixes it is obviously a reference to man saying, “I am God.”

• • • Nebuchadnezzar built the statue of himself and wanted the people to worship it. It was 60 cubits high, 6 cubits wide and it was worshipped when 6 musical instruments were played.
    • When David went out to fight Goliath, Goliath had a spear that weighed 600 shekels, he stood 6 cubits and 6 pieces of armor but David beat him.

5. In the Bible that are symbolic terms that are used.

Jesus made reference to the fig tree.

Hosea 9:10 NKJV (10) “I found Israel Like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers As the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal Peor, And separated themselves to that shame; They became an abomination like the thing they loved.

Trees are symbols of nations.

6. You must always be aware of who is doing the talking and how credible they are as a source of information.

The Bible is not literally true in the sense that every statement is a statement of truth.

The Bible is inspired by God and is truly stated but it is not a book where every statement in it is truth. You must consider the source.

7. Some things are truly stated in the Bible, but they are not statements of truth.

Example: The Pharisees said that Jesus was a blasphemer; Satan’s throne will be exalted above God’s throne.

8. God always has the best idea the first time around.

When you can establish a principle of truth in the Bible, it will remain throughout the rest of the Bible. It will not change as the Dispensations change. It is based on the immutability of God.

9. You cannot use a minor revelation from the Bible to interpret a major revelation.

You may begin interpreting the New Testament in light of the Old Testament.

10. When you interpret the Scripture, you always use the greatest light you that have to bring light on that particular subject.

As we uncover principles in the Old Testament, they should hold true throughout the entire Bible unless the New Testament gives us more revelation on the subject.

For Example:

Job 1:21 NKJV And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

John 10:10 NKJV The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Since the book of Job was written, we then have all of the books of the Old Testament after it and then of course the New Testament. What most of the Church does, however, is interpret the rest of the Bible in light of the Book of Job, including the New Testament.

We are trying to interpret the entire character of God in the New Testament based upon the very first book written in the Old Testament, the book of Job.

Romans 11:22 NKJV (22) Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

One thing that we need to remember about the story of the Children of Israel, is that the Egyptians kidnapped the people (God’s firstborn).

Exodus 4:22 KJV (22) And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

God takes the mistreatment of His people very seriously. He wanted it stopped.

Acts 9:1-19 NKJV Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest (2) and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (3) As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. (4) Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (5) And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (6) So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (7) And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. (8) Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. (9) And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. (10) Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” (11) So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. (12) And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” (13) Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. (14) And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” (15) But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. (16) For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (17) And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (18) Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. (19) So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

It is God that allowed the judgment or curse to come on the Egyptians, but it is also the same God that preserved and protected the Children of Israel in the midst of the plagues.

It really does not come down to Israelites or Egyptians, because as the Egyptians repented and accepted the God of the Hebrews, the curse was removed from them. It really comes to believers and unbelievers; the just and the unjust.

God always gives grace and mercy for repentance before judgment comes. God gave the Egyptians time (400 years) to repent before the plagues began.

The Children of Israel were protected from the plagues that came upon the Egyptians as they lived in the land of Goshen.

We can see the same scenario in the flood of Noah and how God protected the righteous in the ark. God “sent” or allowed the flood to come on the unjust because of their wickedness. They were given 100 years to repent.

The dwelling of righteous will be protected!

Wicked people are always exposed to the curse because they are wicked and separated from God.

Not every destruction in the earth is caused by Satan. It could be that evil people have brought the penalty of sin into their own lives as God has declared that it would be. It could be the simple fact that we live in a planet that is bearing the curse of sin in it. This is something that it was never designed to do.

Sometimes, however, in the lives of believers, the enemy can come as we allow him because of our disobedience.

Let’s look at when believers get into disobedience and destruction comes.

• When the Children of Israel were in the wilderness and the serpents came into the camp, who sent them? Was it God? No, because it was the camp of the righteous, they were protected from God’s judgment, so Satan sent the serpents. God provided a way of healing for them.
• When Ananias and Sapphira died, who was responsible for their deaths? Was it God? No, their disobedience opened the door for death to come into their lives and it killed them.

Acts 5:1-11 NKJV But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. (2) And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (3) But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? (4) While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” (5) Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. (6) And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. (7) Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. (8) And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.” (9) Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” (10) Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. (11) So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

When we are believers, and if the curse it persistent in our lives, it is we who are opening the door for those things.

“God Keeps His Word”

Matthew 24:25 NKJV  See, I have told you beforehand.

Matthew 24:25 CEV  But I have warned you ahead of time.

Jesus is simply saying, “What you are hearing, you have heard before…”

Ahead of time, God tells us what is going to happen so that we can prepare for it.

How many of us know that if we will put our faith in God’s Word we will win every time?

2 Corinthians 2:14 KJV  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Romans 8:37 NKJV  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ahead of time we are told not to worry because it keeps God from being able to work in our lives, but we still worry.

This happens because during the times of pressure, even though we know that God will always cause a good outcome for us, we still are tempted to give up and quit.

Psalms 34:19 NKJV  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

We know this truth, so why do we quit and give up short of victory?

Perfect Example from Mark 4:

Jesus teaches the disciples about the sowing of the Word and that the enemy will come and try and steal the Word out of the hearts of people. 

Mark 4:13 NKJV  And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

They all heard the message. Jesus then decides to go to the other side of the lake and there arose a great storm and they all got afraid.

Jesus was giving the disciples a living example to follow; a lab class if you will. They just had the theory taught to them and now they were going to have a lab, so they could see it in operation.

Mark 4:35 NKJV  On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

The disciples thought that because Jesus was asleep, He did not care.

Jesus, however, was resting on the power of God’s Word. They became afraid, woke Jesus up, He rebuked the storm and then rebuked them for not doing the same thing.

Mark 4:40 AMPC  He said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)?

God did the same thing for the Children of Israel when he warned them that Pharaoh’s heart was going to be hardened, and that Pharaoh would attempt to “outdo” God. But God will not be “outdone.”

Jeremiah 17:5-8 NKJV  Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.  (6)  For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited.  (7)  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.  (8)  For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

shrub in the desert = tumbleweed (KJV)

Wikipedia: A tumbleweed is the above-ground part of a plant that, once mature and dry, separates from the root and tumbles (rolls) away in the wind. Usually, the tumbleweed is the entire plant apart from the roots, but in a few species it is a flower cluster.^[1]

• Tumbleweeds have no roots.
• Roots grow for two reasons: Good soil and good water. (Word and the Holy Spirit)

James 1:5-7 NKJV  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  (6)  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  (7)  For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

Psalms 1:1-4 NKJV Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. (3) He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. (4) The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

A tree planted by the river of water doesn’t depend on the weather to take care of it.

Very Important Truth:

The truth that we need to see for our lives is this: that some of the same things that happen to carnal Christians will happen to spiritual Christians. Spiritual Christians can potentially experience some of the same things that the world goes through (job layoffs, etc.)

What is the difference?

Being rooted and grounded in God and His Word is what enables you to come out victorious on the other side. 

Your roots run deep into the soil where the environment is not affected by the turmoil that may take place on top of the ground.

(Remember, there are two younger men who are watching all this interaction with Pharaoh and how the people responded. They are Joshua and Caleb.)

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God tells Moses ahead of time what was going to happen with the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart and instructed Moses to tell the people exactly what was going to happen.

For the first few times, Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

God never initiates the hardening of someone’s heart. That person does by their will and decisions. (Same as having a tender heart towards God)

Eventually, however, Pharaoh persisted in his resistance and rebellion and God was forced to remove the restraints around him and the Bible will say that God hardened his heart.

Exodus 5:1-2 NKJV  Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ”  (2)  And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.”

Pharaoh thought that he was god and God was challenging this in him.

1 Peter 5:5-7 NKJV  Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”  (6)  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,  (7)  casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Exodus 4:21 NKJV  And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

Exodus 7:22 NKJV  Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said.

Exodus 8:15 NKJV  But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said.

Exodus 8:32 NKJV  But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.

Exodus 9:34-35 NKJV  And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.  (35)  So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

God removed the restraints around Pharaoh’s heart. God began to cooperate with the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart. God allowed the hardness to run its full course.

Exodus 10:1 NKJV  Now the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him,

Exodus 10:20 NKJV  But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

Exodus 10:27 NKJV  But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.

God began to cooperate with the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.

Exodus 7:3-5 NKJV  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.  (4)  But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.  (5)  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”

Some people can get so crazy in rebellion against God as Pharaoh did, that it begins to turn the heart of Egyptians. Common-sense sinners can see that this is crazy, waiting for the lightning to strike…

There were many Egyptians that left Egypt with the Israelites.

Exodus 9:16-17 NKJV  But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.  (17)  As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.

When leaders rebel against God, we do not have to fear and get upset. God will take advantage of the rebellion of people to cause someone to hear the Gospel and God get glory!

See the video “Sheep Among Wolves” volumes I and II on YouTube.

The rebellion of Pharaoh caused the knowledge of God to be spread.

Joshua 2:9-11 NKJV  (Rehab speaking) and said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.  (10)  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.  (11)  And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

God does not initiate sin and unrighteousness but don’t ever think that man’s sin and unrighteousness is going to stop God.

Exodus 11:9 NKJV But the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

By the time the 7^th plague came around there were many Egyptians believed and feared God.

Exodus 9:20-21 NKJV He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. (21) But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

Exodus 12:36-38 NKJV And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. (37) Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. (38) A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds–a great deal of livestock.

Moses and Aaron told the Children of Israel everything that is going to transpire and they received it and worshipped God.

Exodus 4:28-31 NKJV  So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.  (29)  Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.  (30)  And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.  (31)  So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

It was time to move from the theory in class to the experience of the lab.

Then after Pharaoh and the taskmasters of Egypt increased the pressure on the Children of Israel, the worshipping quickly turned into anger and bitterness against Moses. Even Moses got caught up in the moment and forgot what God had told him.

Exodus 5:19-23 NKJV  And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”  (20)  Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them.  (21)  And they said to them, “Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”  (22)  So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me?  (23)  For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

The Children of Israel went to try and negotiate with the devil about their situation, and it made it worse.

Moses doubted, BUT He ran to the Lord to address the situation.

We must realize the difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubts come to us all. Whether you choose to receive those thoughts and change your belief is when it becomes unbelief. Unbelief is based on a willful decision not to believe something.

Mark 6:5-6 NKJV  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  (6)  And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Notice that to address the unbelief, Jesus went about teaching. Hearing and being taught the Word of God is what will help you get out of doubt and unbelief.

God always wants you to reason with Him, not the world.

Isaiah 1:18-19 NKJV  “Come now, and let us reason together…”

Moses runs to God with his doubts and God reminds Moses of the promise and what He swore to do in covenant with Abraham. That is what God will always do for us when we are in a time of doubt.

The thoughts of failure may be coming, but if you will go to God with it, God will always remind you of the promise that He made in His Word in order to give you something to combat the doubt.

God’s response to Moses’ plea to God:

Exodus 6:1-9 NKJV  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”  (2)  And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the LORD.  (3)  I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them.  (4)  I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers.  (5)  And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.  (6)  Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.  (7)  I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.  (8)  And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’ ”  (9)  So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.