The Challenges of Freedom

 The Challenges Of Being Free

Book of Exodus Chapter 17

We should understand that having freedom has its own high costs.

When we are totally free, then we realize that we face the responsibility of providing for ourselves.

In our nation today, far too many want to avoid this responsibility and depend on our government to provide their needs.

As a Christian, the Lord my God has promised to do this for me.

Freedom has its price, but when we are dependent upon a loving God, He makes certain promises.

Luk 12:29  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 

Luk 12:30  For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 

Luk 12:31  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

These children of Israel never went without in all their travels!

The key is in this scripture. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God".

God had already sent the Manna which gave them daily bread and He would continue to do this until they reached the Promised Land.

Exo 16:35  And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.

There was never a day that Jehovah did not provide food for these rebellious people.

Notice that word "AND" and we can see Chapter 17 is linked to Chapter 16 as Chapter 16 is linked to Chapter 15 by that word “and”.

This word "and" is an important word that is used in the Word of God!

Even with food provided, there is another item even more necessary. Water.

*****Exo 17:1  And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. 

Exo 17:2  Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? 

Remember Moses and this people were being led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

It was not Moses that stopped in Rephidim it was that Angel of the Lord we know to be Jehovah, the LORD.

What is God doing, but just testing their faith!

As the children of God, He will test our faith many times all our days.

It can be said the path of "Faith" is a trial itself!

If we follow the Lord Jesus Christ as He has requested, we will encounter many things that are unpleasant and displeasing to the flesh.

Paul wrote:

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 

Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 

Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 

Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 

Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 

Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 

Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 

It can be said that our flesh is our greatest enemy, as we strive to follow the lead of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The same flesh was the greatest enemy of these children of Israel!

God wants us to rely on Him and not upon this world for those things we need!

This is a painfully slow lesson for most all of us!

These people should have understood that it was just as easy for the Lord to provide water as it was for Him to part the Red Sea and to provide their daily food, that Heavenly Manna.

We should keep in mind there were two million or more of these people.

That word "pitched" meant that they would stay in this place more than a day.

The problem with every society is the fact that we all have needs for us to survive.

What does the Word of God teach?

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Notice it is the lust of the flesh that comes first.

We are always wanting something, in fact lusting for those things and this is a sin.

These children of Israel fell into whining and dissatisfaction and rebellion, and this is how we bring the "judgment" of God upon ourselves.

It is a serious lack of "faith"!

*****Exo 17:3  And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

To be honest, it is a terrible thing to suffer from thirst. We cannot go very long without water.

Surely the same God who could part the Red Sea could provide water for His people.

Moses was just a man; the messenger Jehovah had chosen to lead these people.

It was actually Jehovah who was leading this people, a pillar of cloud by day a pillar of fire by night.

There was a reason Jehovah stopped at Rephidim.

You see, it is these things we learn from the Books of Moses that show us how we all are.

Satan begins his processes and brainwashing at such and early age, that people just do not trust the Lord.

People trust in a world of people who have not changed very much since its beginning.

When this people came to Moses, Moses then turned to God.

As people, we are always looking for some other person to blame our troubles on.

We must understand that Jehovah does what Jehovah does anytime Jehovah wants to do it!

But we must never tempt the Lord!

Deu 6:16  Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

Mat 4:7  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Luk 4:12  And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

When we complain and moan about every little thing, we are tempting the Lord!

*****Exo 17:4  And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 

Exo 17:5  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 

Exo 17:6  Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 

What is an "intercessor"?

Moses was the man chosen by Jehovah to lead these people. This is never an easy task for anyone!

As their thirst increased, they became more impatient and enraged and they took it out on Moses.

We must first understand that God is going to test us from time to time.

The journey to the true Promised Land (the New Heaven) will seem to be a long one, when we are down in the valley.

As we witness this forty-year journey of the children of Israel, there will be many great lessons we can learn from and use in our own journey.

The descendants of Abraham were going to the Promised Land because it was promised to Abraham.

As Christians we are going to the New Heaven because it was promised by the Lord Jesus Christ!

Most of these that left Egypt would not be among those who actually crossed the River Jordan with Joshua.

We will see why as we study the great Book of Exodus.

The things we learn the most are:

1) That we can trust Jehovah "to keep His promises".

2) That we can depend on Jehovah "to provide our needs".

3) That we can depend upon Jehovah "to go with us".

Moses shows us that an "intercessor" will cry out to the Lord for others.

The greatest Intercessor of all is the Lord Jesus Christ!

The only way we can lose our salvation is for Jesus Christ to be a liar, in His role as our Intercessor!

Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 

Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Heb 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

It is Moses who teaches us about being an "intercessor" in the Old Testament.

Without our Intercessor, the Lord Jesus Christ, we could never be free!

These children of Israel needed Moses much more than they realized.

As Moses did as was commanded by the Lord, we see another type in the Scriptures, the Rock.

1Co 10:1  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 

1Co 10:2  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 

1Co 10:3  And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 

1Co 10:4  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 

We see without a doubt that Jehovah and the Lord Jesus Christ are One and the Same.

Jesus said, "My Father and I are One".

This Rock was to be "smitten" and this speaks to us of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What do we know? We know that the Lord Jesus Christ had to descend from Heaven just as the "Manna" did if He was to be the Bread of Life to all His people!

We must also know that our Lord must be smitten by "Divine Judgment" if He was to become the Water of Life!

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

Out of that smitten Rock came the water and we know that water can represent the Holy Spirit.

Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 

Act 2:18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 

Jesus said to those who thirst for the Holy Spirit must come to Him.

Joh 7:37  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 

Joh 7:39  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

You see Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ always keeps His promises!

Psa 105:41  He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river. 

Psa 105:42  For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant. 

We should be able to see that as we study the Old Testament Book of Exodus, we get to learn more

about the truth of our Savior.

We must have "faith" in the promises of God, and we must not tempt Him with our complaining and our foolish pride.

*****Exo 17:7  And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? 

That word Massah means temptation.

That word Meribah means to quarrel and dispute.

We must never ask if the Lord is among us, after He promised to never leave us and to never forsake us!

Life brings its good things and its dreadful things, but no matter what we are going through, we can believe that the Lord is always with those who love Him!

We should understand that those who are empty of the Holy Spirit still have a desperate need to quench their thirst, but they simply do not know where they can satisfy that thirst, unless we tell them about "the Rock" (the Lord Jesus), the only source of "Living Water".

Isa 12:2  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 

Isa 12:3  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 

Isa 12:4  And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. 

This is the truth we have for those who are lost! 

They must drink of that "Living Water", Jesus Christ our Lord.

Another thing we must understand is that when we are disobedient and tempt the Lord, then  we will fall under Divine Judgment.

When we are tested by the Lord, we must cling to our "faith" and believe in His promises.

We should understand without "tests" we will never have a "testimony"!

The Israelites were murmuring.

They were ready to stone to death God's servant Moses.

They were filled with unbelief, lacking faith, saying to Moses, "is the Lord with us or not".

Here we see a people who were always looking for the arm of God "without faith", rather than seeking the face of God.

They were a foolish people at this time, forgetting they were free and released for their bondage of slavery.

Another thing we should realize is, that what the Holy Spirit recorded in the Book of Numbers Chapter 20 is far different from what we have here in this Chapter of Exodus.

*****Exo 17:8  Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 

Water was a great commodity in the wilderness then, and it still is in this area.

We also see that the Devil always has his spies watching the children of God.

Amalek decided it would be easy pickings to take this water away from Israel.

The meaning of Amalek is "warlike" because they lusted for war with anyone, they thought they could defeat.

It is our lust and our covetousness that causes us the most problems!

1Pe 2:11  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 

Remember Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright to Jacob.

Amalek were cousins to Esau.

Amalek had no fear of Jehovah with fear meaning respect.

Deu 25:17  Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; 

Deu 25:18  How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. 

Amalek was another of those group of terrorists who attack the feeblest and women and children or hide behind them.

Amalek came to fight with Israel because Amalek knew Israel had never been in war and were not equipped for war.

The Devil delights in robbing the joy of God's people.

God said to Israel that Amalek was to be destroyed.

Deu 25:17  Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; 

Deu 25:18  How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. 

Deu 25:19  Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it. 

This goes against most modern day thinking of people who think they can negotiate with terrorist, and this is never true.

We next see the great General Joshua and this same Joshua will be seen to be a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

*****Exo 17:9  And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 

Exo 17:10  So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 

Moses chose a General to lead the new army of Israel. 

There can be little doubt that at every opportunity Israel had been preparing an army. 

Moses had been trained in military tactics while he grew up as an Egyptian.

At that time, Egypt had the mightiest army in the world.

We can believe that Moses had sought out a man to lead this army and what better man than Joshua which meant (savior or whose help is Jehovah).

In Hebrew Joshua would be Jeshua.

In Greek Joshua would be Jesus.

While Joshua was in the battle, Moses would take the rod of God and seek to intercede for the army of Israel.

It was not just Joshua that needed to be encouraged. 

When the army of Israel could see the "rod of God" raised up into the air they knew there was a God because they had seen Moses raise this rod many times and they had seen the results. 

This is the same rod that Moses lifted up and the Red Sea was opened to allow them to escape from Pharaoh's army.

They knew that Moses was crying out to the Lord.

No matter what blocks our path we need to take it to the Lord!

As Christians freed from the bondage of Satan, he will still attempt to block our path from serving the Lord.

Amalek in typology is a type of our own flesh that we battle with every day.

Our flesh in reality is our greatest enemy.

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

In reality those who pray for us are our greatest friends!

2Th 3:1  Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: 

2Th 3:2  And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. 

Remember Job:

Job 42:10  And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. 

Our greatest intercessor is the Lord Jesus Christ who constantly prays for us.

Heb 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 

Joshua went to war and Moses went high on the mountain so he could be seen and at 80 years old Moses took two men with him, Aaron and a man named Hur.

Tradition says that this Hur was the husband of Miriam which does make sense, but this could be another Hur.

*****Exo 17:11  And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 

Exo 17:12  But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 

Exo 17:13  And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 

Moses prayed while the battle was taking place.

We should pray before the enemy attacks because the enemy Satan is just waiting for some sign of weakness.

We must pray while we are under attack because Satan will always be watching the children of God.

The attack may be temptation, our wicked thoughts.

The attack may be an urge to steal from someone.

The attack may be the compulsion to lie to someone.

Whatever the attack, the first thing we must do is to pray.

The attack may actually be war or the threat of bodily harm or the threat of death.

These things are under direct control of the Lord, so we need to pray immediately, and we must prevail.

The Holy Spirit keenly makes us aware of the power of prayer!

As long as the hands of Moses were reaching for God, Israel prevailed.

When his hands dropped Amalek prevailed.

Aaron and Hur with him saw to it that the hands of Moses would not fall.

A great lesson for us all.

Psa 28:2  Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. 

1Ti 2:8  I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 

We are in the last days according to the Bible, we have been since the Lord Jesus came to pay our sin debt.

The enemies we face are not much stronger, but they are more determined.

We have seen this in our last election.

These enemies are more dangerous than they ever have been.

It is not time to quit on God, and it is certainly not time to get slack in our prayer life.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

The children of Israel won this first battle, but in fact the victory was the Lord’s, and this is the way we need to see all our battles in life.

The Lord will never do things we have in our own power to do!

Alone we are no match for Satan, but if we stand on the Word of God and pray, we will see the awesome power of God!

Judgment was pronounced on Amalek and one day there will be no Amalek in this world and surely none in Heaven.

In verse thirteen we see the phrase "with the edge of the sword".

The "sword" here points us to the Word of God.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

We need the Word of God to accompany our prayers. 

Psa 119:11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 

It is the Word of God that teaches us about sin.

It is the Word of God that teaches us about a Savior and our Deliverer.

It is the Word of God that the Holy Spirit uses when we do not know what to pray.

It is the Word of God that teaches us how to pray!

Just as "judgment" was pronounced upon Amalek, "judgment" has been pronounced upon our own flesh.

There is nothing good about our flesh and our flesh cannot defeat us if we walk in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isa 40:28  Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 

Isa 40:29  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 

Isa 40:30  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 

***Isa 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

Our strength is in the Lord!

When the Lord makes us free, we are free indeed!

Joh_8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Amen

Traveling to the Promised Land

 Freedom To Follow

Book of Exodus Chapters 13 through 14

What do we know for sure? Before any humans appeared on this planet called earth, the Almighty God was preparing it as a place of life. 

God has created a temporary dwelling place for all those who would call Him their Heavenly Father. 

Jehovah did not just cause this Pharaoh of Egypt to release His people to the world, but He would travel with them to the Promised Land.

Today when we accept the lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, He will be with us forever!

We should be incredibly careful where we take the Holy Spirit who lives within us!

Just as sheep in this created pasture, we need our God Jehovah, every moment of our life!

Because of sin we were wandering this world in disbelief, but once the "Gospel" became a reality to us, we returned to our true Shepherd.

1Pe 2:25  For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

We always give far too much importance to our flesh, when it is nothing more than a place our soul

resides.

It is the soul that is the jewel in the eyes of God!

From the day we are born, this flesh we live in begins to die when our soul will never die in the manner of our flesh!

When we were lost, we traveled in the unknown, but once we give our heart to Jesus we repent of our wickedness, we know where we are headed and we know we will never be alone again!

Heb 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

As we witness the travels of the children of Israel, we should keep in mind that we travel with our Heavenly Father who always has His eyes upon us!

Psa 139:1  O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 

Psa 139:2  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 

Psa 139:3  Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 

Psa 139:4  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 

Psa 139:5  Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 

Psa 139:6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 

We must understand that our freedom comes through following the Lord Jesus Christ!

How does that song go? "Where He leads me, I will follow".

Joh 12:26  If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

Much of our future is unknown to us though our ending is known, but nothing about our lives is unknown to our Savior!

We live in a world that is so full of design that many say we live in an accident, but we also should know that there is no such thing as an accident. 

All things come about according to the plan of our Heavenly Father!

From that first scratch, bruise, or broken bone, we begin to see that life is precious!

It is life that is God given!

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

For the children of Israel their journey to the land promised to Abraham has begun.

*****Exo 13:21  And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 

Exo 13:22  He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. 

Israel began their journey in peril.

They were pursued by the Egyptian Army.

They had the Red Sea before them.

They were moving toward an unknown and dangerous wilderness.

We must always realize that God has a plan for us, and God had a plan for these people who had been freed from bondage.

How did God lead these people?

By a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

The wilderness was hot and dry, but the shade of that cloud provided some comfort if they would just follow it. 

This cloud never went too fast nor too slow but at just the right pace.

We never have to live in a panic when Jesus the Messiah is our Savior!

We can understand this cloud to represent a type of the Bible we have today.

The Bible that is written according to those ancient Hebrew and Greek Scriptures will make our way clear into the Kingdom of God.

It is the same for that pillar of fire.

Psa_119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

It is the Word of God that will guide us through the wilderness of this world.

It is the Word of God that will show us the path of life.

It is the Word of God that is the armor for our soul to keep us safe from the likes of Satan.

It is also the Word of God that gives us the conditions for a personal relationship with our own Redeemer and Maker!

The Lord Jesus is our "faithful" Guide to the true Promised Land!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 

Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 

We must understand that God will always lead us in the path of righteousness. He will never lead us astray of the Word of God.

Human rights never come before the truth of the Word of God!

We must be willing to die while taking our stand on the Word of God!

That witch Pelosi has this thing backwards, and so do all demoncrats who stand on abortion and the so-called homosexual movement.

She and her cohorts need to actually read about the God they say they believe!

God will never condone disobedience by any human! Just ask Adam.

God will lead those who love Him to their promised destiny, the New Heaven.

We must understand without the Divine guidance of the Word of God, we would remain lost in this dying world that unbelievers now call "climate change".

We do not have to fear anyone or anything if we are truly following the Lord!

Pharaoh had decided he still needed these who were slaves to rebuild Egypt, as if God would allow it.

Government leaders forget the past too quickly, but nothing takes God by surprise as this man was leading his army to its death, just as his arrogance had destroyed his nation.

*****Exo 14:10  And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

The children of Israel knew this was the mightiest army on the face of the earth at that time.

The children of Israel knew they did not have it in their own power to stop this enemy.

The children of Israel felt that there was no direction safe for them, but all they needed to do was to follow that pillar of cloud by day and that pillar of fire by night.

It is the same for us today!

When it seems as if every direction is a bad direction, we must simply just follow the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

They had no weapons of the world, but they had the Living God.

They had no military training, but they had the Almighty God.

They knew nothing about war, but they were on the winning side!

They cried out in a lack of faith.

We should understand there are no words that speak as loud in Heaven as those words "Lord Save Me"!

Satan may be powerful, surely more powerful than we are.

Satan has great resources from the world.

Satan has many followers.

Satan will strive off of corruption.

But Satan is a loser!

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

We must understand we will not make it to the Promise Land without having much resistance from that same Devil!

When we think we must flee, God simply says to stand still:

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

When we are facing a sure death, we must remember through death comes eternal life in the Glory World, if you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Fear is something we do not need in our lives!

Fear is useless and it is destructive to our character!

*****Exo 14:11  And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 

Exo 14:12  Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. 

The biggest reason the strength of the Church is fading today is that same lack of "faith".

We believe that so-called scientist and so-called professionals have gotten so smart that they can prove God to be wrong. 

What fools we are to trust in this world!

We may have more comforts than these children of Israel had, but the world has not changed or improved at all!

We know more how to destroy each other!

We allow hatred and foolishness to rule our ways when we need to lean on our Redeemer!

Once we know the Lord Jesus Christ, we must have no fear of death!

If these children of Israel had the faith of Abraham their father, they would have believed the promises that Jehovah made to Abraham.

Those four hundred years were over, it was time to go to the Promised Land.

Gen_15:13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years

Exo_12:41  And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

This being true, just where was their faith? Most of them had none and they could only think about one day at a time.

Believe me when I say it, it does not really matter where a Christian is located when we die!

2Co_5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

We must not fear death!

We just need to stand still and watch the Lord fulfill His promises.

*****Exo 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

We must understand that no matter what problem we face, God has the same response. Fear not!

Sixty-two times God uses this exact phrase.

Luke 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

We should also understand that God does not do things He does not want to do.

Sure He may give us some things we do not need to teach us a lesson just as he gave all those riches to Solomon.

We are to learn from our mistakes! We are not to repeat the same mistake over and over again!

"Stand still" is another challenge from the Lord.

We are going to face problems that there will not be a solution for, but we must not just run away from such things. 

To know the Lord Jesus Christ is to know the Problem Solver!

This army was no obstacle for Jehovah God. 

In fact Jehovah knew what this Pharaoh would do, and Jehovah would just rid the world of this evil and wicked man.

What were those words of Moses? "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today".

These same words will work even today!

We do not have to worry at what this world can do to us!

We must just stand still in the salvation of the Lord.

What is wrong with our nation today? Christians cower down in fear of the things of this world.

Many are convinced that they should not go to Church because of Covid, where is their faith.

Many are convinced that God is not in control.

The Word of God has told us these things would happen in the latter days so look around and you will see these things are happening according to the Word of God.

The Lord Jesus Christ is never caught off guard! Just read Matthew 24.

If there was ever a time, we need to take our stand on the Word of God (that pillar of cloud by day) then today is that day.

If we do not stand and stand firm, we will see our freedom to worship erode away.

We are the enemies of the world because the Word of God is against what is happening in our world.

Abortion is pushed down our throats all the way to the day of birth.

We are to cower down to the homosexual movement which to God is an abomination. Sodom and Gomorrah have taken over our societies.

Socialism is becoming a reality. Communism will follow if we do not stop it now.

People once came to America for freedom now they are enticed to come for their vote towards an evil agenda.

If the Church remains on the outside and allows these things to continue without taking a stand and let God do what God does.

If Israel had not stood still, they would have never seen the Red Sea part to allow their escape to freedom and the destruction of this Pharaoh who was in fact a type of the Antichrist.

These lessons in the Old Testament were put there by the Holy Spirit for us to learn from and we had better do just that because God does not ever change.

We preach it, we teach it, we had better believe it!

All that Egyptian army including that Pharaoh died that day and Egypt has never been a great power in this world again.

The Egyptian people suffered because of an arrogant Pharoah and because they put their faith in false gods.

It is the same for China today.

It is the same for North Korea.

It is the same for most all oppressed people.

Another thing we must quit doing is crying out and complaining to God when we are not willing to show the "faith" that is so dear to our relationship with Him.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

The Lord Jesus Christ is never pleased with our lack of "Faith" and He is God!

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

*****Exo 14:21  And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 

Exo 14:22  And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

We must forever understand that God is not bound by the laws of nature which He put in place Himself.

God can push aside the laws of nature as He pleases for His own purposes!

The Red Sea became "the gateway" to the Promised Land.

The Red Sea became "an instrument of judgment" upon Pharaoh and his army. 

We may understand what is called "climate change" as the beginning of the "judgement" of God on this sinful world!

We understand as Christians that we may see the beginning of these things before the "Rapture" of the Church.

Those waters that were like jello as the Children of Israel passed over the dry sea bed.

Exo 15:8  And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. 

CONGEALED means Converted into ice, or a solid mass, by the loss of heat or other process; concreted.

This was not just a happening but a miracle and could not have happened any other way!

Only God could have done this thing!

Isa 63:11  Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? 

Isa 63:12  That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? 

Isa 63:13  That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? 

It was Jehovah God who delivered the Children of Israel!

It was Jehovah who brought "Judgment" on Pharaoh and his army.

*****Exo 14:23  And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 

No doubt the Pharaoh witnessed something he did not understand but he still commanded his army to follow.

It was blind rage that cause Pharaoh to act. Remember what Jehovah had told Moses.

Exo 6:1  Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 

Exo_14:8  And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.

Psa 77:14  Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. 

Psa 77:15  Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. 

Psa 77:16  The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled. 

Psa 77:17  The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. 

Psa 77:18  The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook. 

Psa 77:19  Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. 

Psa 77:20  Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. 

Once this mighty army was within those walls of water the Lord was not about to allow them to escape.

*****Exo 14:24  And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 

Exo 14:25  And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 

While trying to stop these children of Israel from escaping him, he found that he could not escape the hand of God himself.

God looks down from Heaven for two reasons. Either for "mercy" or for "judgment".

This mighty army became confused.

This mighty army became afraid and wanted to retreat.

This is a similar scene from all those armies of the antichrist that will attack Israel during Armageddon.

God offers "mercy" but when "mercy" is refused then comes the "Judgment" of God!

The Lord never breaks a promise!

The Lord always delivers His people, no matter the problem, no matter how difficult it may seem!

What is God's promise to me and to each Christian?

2Ti 4:18  And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

This army felt so useless they quit on their commander in chief!

This is also a scene that will be seen in the wars of Armageddon!

For these Egyptians they believed that the thunder and lightning and the fire and the hailstones to be Heaven's artillery turned against them and this was true.

God had this army where He wanted them with no means to escape and God then spoke to Moses.

*****Exo 14:26  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 

Exo 14:27  And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

Jehovah wanted these children of Israel to understand that it was He behind the arm of Moses and the gods of Egypt were nothing but idols of falseness.

God also wanted these people to follow Moses.

At a signal from Moses those waters that were congealed immediately returned to their place and overwhelmed Pharaohs mighty army and even Pharaoh was a victim of his own anger.

Not one escaped!

It is even said that Pharaoh’s magicians Jannes and Jambres perished with the rest.

2Ti_3:8  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

We see a description of all those that oppose the truth of God. They are reprobate concerning the faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no better description of most of those in Washington D C today who are trying to destroy our nation.

Tit_1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

God will not claim them unless they repent.

Rom_1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

The Children of Israel could now begin their journey to the Promised Land without the fear of this Pharaoh and his mighty army.

But they were still a rebellious bunch.

Amen

The High Cost of Freedom

Freedom Through the Blood

Book of Exodus Chapter 12

Those ten plagues had crippled the economy of Egypt and had God stopped at this point those children of Israel would have remained as slaves of Egypt.

All those ten plagues had affected the Egyptian people much more than this rich king who was full of pride and arrogance.

There would be one more plague, but this one would be vastly different from the others.

The Passover deals with the "Judgment" of God, but also the Deliverance of God!

God began a principle in the Book of Genesis that will be followed throughout all the Bible.

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 

In the Book of Genesis we know that the sin of Adam and Eve brought the curse of destruction to this world we live in.

We are seeing the results of this curse increasingly today, in what many call climate change which is the reality of that curse upon this world.

Before Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, God made clothes for them from the skins of animals.

This demonstrated the principle of forgiveness through the shedding of blood.

Later we saw that it was Abel's sacrifice that was accepted by the Almighty God.

Gen 4:4  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 

This principle of "Freedom" through sacrifice is repeated throughout the Bible. 

We see it here in the Book of Exodus as the "freedom" of the children of Israel would require a Blood Sacrifice.

Before these children of Israel could be set free, they had to pave the way for a new beginning.

This thing of escape from the tyranny of the world would be documented on a new calendar which the Jews still use today.

What do we know now that we have accepted the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation? Sin has an extremely high cost!

*****Exo 12:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 

Exo 12:2  This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 

The Passover deals with the "Judgment" of God but also the "Deliverance" of God.

This "Judgment" will be upon all those who cannot accept the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

This "Judgment" will be upon all those who are evil oppressors, those who are ungodly, and those who are unrighteous in this world.

The "Deliverance" will take place to all who believe in and diligently follow the Word of God and the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We should notice that the beginning of this new calendar for the children of Israel did not begin on the day of the Passover but fourteen days before the Passover.

We should understand this gap as a type of "grace".

My new calendar began when the day I was "Born Again" to a "New Life", and regenerated by the Holy Spirit coming to live within me.

Tit 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Notice I have no righteousness of myself, but now because the Holy Spirit lives within me I have the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

All the sins of my past are forgiven! My new life had its beginning when I realized I was a sinner and in need of a Savior.

For the children of Israel, their new life would begin from the month in which the Passover occurred not the day of the Passover.

The Passover was the most significant event in the history of Israel and is still celebrated today.

Those who practice true Judaism still observe the Passover today, but they have no place to offer their sacrifice.

The Passover marked the very night that God "delivered" the children of Israel from the tyranny of Egypt, which is a type of the world we live in today, where we see persecution increasing and the taskmasters still delivering their slave tactics.

This first new month was called Abib which corresponds to March and April on the Roman Calendar.

The word "Abib" means "a young head of grain", "an ear of corn".

The beginning of a new life for the nation of Israel was marked by a new calendar.

The life of Jesus Christ was also marked by a new calendar.

When the Lord Jesus arose to New Life and left that borrowed tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, to a life to live eternally in a New Heaven it astounded the world so much that the world measures its seasons and its history from the date of the Birth of Jesus Christ.

This should be enough proof for all the world that the Lord Jesus Christ is a real Savior, a real "Deliverer"!

****Exo 12:3  Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 

Exo 12:4  And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 

We next see that Israel is now called a congregation, a Holy Community by the Lord God Himself.

A congregation is the people of God who gather to worship Him or to hear the Word of God!

We also see that each household, each family, was to celebrate the feast of the Passover. 

Each family or group of people were to secure one lamb on the tenth day of the month of Abib.

This lamb was to be singled out from the flock and appointed to death four days before it was to be sacrificed.

For four days they were to keep this Lamb separate and feed and care for this lamb.

When the Lord Jesus was beginning His ministry John the Baptist said:

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Joh 1:36  And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

Notice also each person was to eat the Passover meal for them self.

This is the same way we take Jesus today, individually, then the family, and then all the congregation.

This describes the worship of the Church, the Body of Christ. 

We then share what we learned in the Congregation, take it home to our families and then as individuals we become Ambassadors for Christ.

This lamb was to be without blemish, or we would say perfect.

*****Exo 12:5  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 

Any animal less than perfect offered for sin would be an abomination to the Lord.

An animal that had no reason for their life to end so abruptly, which represents pure innocence.

Each sinner represents one who is guilty of breaking all the laws of God.

Jas 2:10  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

The acceptance of the yearling goat was allowed for those who were poor, who might have an animal more for its milk rather than its market value of wool for clothing.

A male animal would be considered superior to the female animal in this sacrifice for sin and therefore more appropriate for a sin offering!

Lev 1:10  And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish. 

This Lamb was to be a type of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Lev 21:21  No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. 

The Lord Jesus Christ would be both High Priest and King of Kings.

This lamb was to die in the fulness of its strength!

Before we move on let us see another important thing.

Verse three said "a lamb".

Verse four said "the lamb".

Verse five says "your lamb"

If you do not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, then He is not your lamb!

Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

*****Exo 12:6  And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 

A few things we should note here is the things of this fourteenth day.

1) When we read the whole congregation, we should think there was some great gathering of the people.

We should understand this as the head of each household. 

In type we know the whole nation is seen as a nation of priests, just as each Christian is to be a priest to his own family.

Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 

It is the family that was begun first in the Book of Genesis with Adam and Eve being the first family and Adam being the first head of that family and the priest to his own family.

2) We should also understand that it was not just the chief priest and the elders and not just the scribes and the Pharisees who put Jesus to death, but also by the vote of the people.

Mar 15:9  But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 

Mar 15:10  For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. 

Mar 15:11  But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. 

Mar 15:12  And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? 

Mar 15:13  And they cried out again, Crucify him. 

Mar 15:14  Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. 

Mar 15:15  And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. 

In fact, I also have to take my own responsibility for the death of Christ Jesus, because it was because of my sin and the sin of everyone that caused our Savior to be put to death.

3) On this fourteenth day the Lord Jesus died between the evenings.

Between the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month of Abib (Nisan)

If we study the Scriptures, we will see that the Lord Jesus died at the exact time that the lambs at the Temple were being slain which would be at our three o'clock, or the nineth hour.

This would have been just before that soldier pierced the Lord with his spear because the Lord Jesus gave His life, no one took it from Him.

Joh 10:17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 

Joh 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. 

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

When we consider this and then add to it all the things that happened.

It was finished: No more would lambs need to be destroyed for the forgiveness of sin.

It was finished: The veil was rent we can go before the Lord at any time without the assistance of some priest.

It was finished: The earthquake declared the power of God.

It was finished: It was the end of His suffering for our sin.

It was finished: The Lord Jesus was forsaken by His Father and that was now over, and His fellowship was restored.

It was finished: Satan was forever defeated.

It was finished: It was finished, Jesus had made "atonement" for all our sins.

One man wrote: Though millions of sacrifices had been offered; yet nothing was done to purchase redemption before Christ’s incarnation… so nothing was done after His resurrection, to purchase redemption for men. Nor will there be anything more done to all eternity.

Like our lesson states "Freedom Through the Blood".

It is all about the blood of the Lamb!

*****Exo 12:7  And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 

In the twelfth chapter of Exodus we never see lamb in the plural because there was only one Lamb that could accomplish what God required!

As the blood is to life, it is also the essence of sacrifice! Essence meaning the nature of our being that distinguishes it from all others.

God did not make any of us alike! Until the sin of Adam and Eve, we all became sinners.

It was the blood applied on the outside of the house that kept those saved on the inside of the house!

Notice the blood was applied in the shape of the bloody cross of our Savior.

It was an act of "faith". If you believed God would save you behind the blood applied to your house, then you would be saved.

If you did not have this "faith" and did not apply the blood, then you would see the death of your first-born child and the first born of your animals.

Heb 11:28  Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 

The Lord Jesus Christ was our substitute:

Lev 17:11  For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 

So many things we see in this passage from the Book of Exodus.

Once the blood was applied it was safe to eat the Passover meal!

We must make sure that we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

We must make sure our families are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

We must make sure our homes are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

We must make sure the place we gather to worship is covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

When the Blood of Jesus is applied to our homes it becomes a public profession of faith!

Our "faith" is to be in the promises of God just as He promised the Children of Israel at this first Passover.

*****Exo 12:8  And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 

Exo 12:9  Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 

This lamb sacrificed for freedom was to be eaten.

It was to be roasted and not boiled and eaten by those inside the house.

A journey lay before these of God's people and this food would give them strength.

Jesus said:

Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 

Joh 6:54  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

Joh 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 

It was to be eaten with unleavened bread.

The Leven represented sin and there was no sin in the house that is washed in the Blood of Jesus.

Joh 6:48  I am that bread of life. 

Joh 6:49  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 

Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 

Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

The "bitter herbs" would forever remind them of the bitter days of their slavery in Egypt,

This is a picture of our own slavery to sin.

Our hearts are always to be broken over sin.

Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 

Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 

For the children of Israel this lamb was to be prepared in a peculiar way and this way was never to be deviated. These are God-given instructions!

God given instructions are never to be changed!

One of the many things we see in these things is that the Church is to be family-centered!

Few are today.

Most of the Churches of today try to please those sitting in the pews when God instructs them to preach the entire Word of God.

We must accept the Lord Jesus Christ exactly as He was prepared and offered by Jehovah God!

There is no other way to be saved, Jesus said so Himself!

Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 

None of this food was to remain in the morning.

*****Exo 12:10  And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 

What we see is that the "death" of this sacrificial lamb has become the food for life!

That lamb was to be eaten the same night it was slain.

The rising sun was to see no part of the slain lamb.

No part of Christ is to be left out! We accept Him as He is, the truth of eternal salvation!

Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 

Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 

In like manner the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ is complete, it is not a progressive thing over the period of our lives!

Our salvation is not in the process of being accomplished, it has been accomplished.

It is accomplished immediately upon accepting the work of Christ for our salvation!

One man wrote, "For God's suffering Lamb the dark night of "Judgment" is no more, and He lives on High eternal sunshine of Divine favor and love".

And how shall we eat the Lamb of God?

*****Exo 12:11  And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover. 

We must clearly understand that today, not tomorrow, but today is the day of salvation!

2Co 6:2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 

Upon hearing the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ we are to immediately accept Him, repent and rush away from this world and begin our New "Born Again" life.

Our new life marching toward the Promised Land of the New Heaven!

We must wear the right clothes and not get entangled in this world again, this world has no benefits!

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

We must wear the right shoes.

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

We must lean on our Savior for we cannot travel alone. Just as Moses had the staff of God, the Lord Jesus Christ is our staff.

Psa 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

Psa 23:2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 

Psa 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

We are only pilgrims passing through this wicked land.

1Pe 2:11  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 

We are always to know that the Lord Jesus could return at any moment, and we must expect it!

We must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ is the substitute for our own  "Judgment"

*****Exo 12:12  For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite 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. 

Exo 12:13  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

As we have studied this Pharaoh understood when Moses laid down the staff, he carried it was in defiance of the false gods of Egypt and Pharaoh accepted that challenge and Pharaoh chose the wrong side.

Pharaoh finally accepts the defeat of his gods when he said, "Go then, serve Jehovah; and bless me also".

The children of Israel gave the glory to Jehovah at this time, but they were a rebellious bunch. 

They did not behave as if they owed any gratitude to Moses or Aaron.

Deu 32:16  They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. 

Deu 32:17  They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. 

Deu 32:18  Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.

The "Judgment" of God is harsh on those who reject Him!

God was speaking to the children of Israel through Moses and God said:

1) I will pass through the land of Egypt as a destroyer in "Judgment".

I will enter every house of the Egyptians and kill the first-born child of both man and beast.

2) God said: "I will do the same to your houses and if I do not see the blood on the door posts of your houses, I will do the same to you.

You will escape this plague if I see the blood.

3) God said again: Against all the gods of Egypt, I will execute "Judgment".

Animal worship was an important part of the religion of the Egyptians and some of these Jews never forgot this and it caused problems all the days of Israel till God dispersed them through all the nations of the earth.

The blood that was placed on the door post and over the door should remind us of a bloody cross.

This blood was not a token to the Children of Israel, but to God for them!

The Destroyer would Passover each home where the blood could be seen!

This method of deliverance involved the sacrifice of innocent life.

This is the only method for complete deliverance!

This method requires faith in the Almighty Covenant Keeping God!

Mar 14:22  And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 

Mar 14:23  And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 

Mar 14:24  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 

Mar 14:25  Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 

The Lord Jesus Christ is that Lamb of God who was sacrificed for each and every sinner and will save each and every believer!

Amen. 

Jehovah Will Challenge All False Gods

 The Power of God

Book of Exodus Chapters 7 through Chapter 10

It is in these Chapters we begin to see the awesomeness of the great "I AM" in the fact that "He can control nature" and does.

Though the word "nature" has no exact meaning to those writers of the Old Testament who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, to give us the information that He deemed we needed, so the word "nature" does not exist.

In the Old Testament, Jehovah alone, is seen in all things, through all things, and over all things!

We have no reason to question the Holy Spirit!

In the New Testament the term "nature" is used as the force, the laws, and the order, of this world, including all humanity.

In this sense, it is still Jehovah who has absolute control of, given the circumstances, of all things called nature or natural!

Psalms 104 gives us the best understanding of nature.

We can understand the workings of nature as the things that God has put in place to keep this world livable.

Listen as the Holy Spirit describes some of the things of our Messiah.

Pro 8:22  The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 

Pro 8:23  I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 

Pro 8:24  When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 

Pro 8:25  Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 

Pro 8:26  While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. 

Pro 8:27  When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 

Pro 8:28  When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 

Pro 8:29  When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: 

Pro 8:30  Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 

Pro 8:31  Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. 

As Moses begins to confront this Pharaoh, God shows His power over the natural world.

*****Exo 7:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 

Exo 7:2  Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. 

What we see here is that Moses is authorized to speak and act in the name of Jehovah.

Moses has in fact been given some divine power to do things that are above the ordinary course of nature.

The Lord Jesus speaks of these things.

Joh 10:34  Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 

Joh 10:35  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 

Joh 10:36  Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? 

Joh 10:37  If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 

Joh 10:38  But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. 

Aaron would act in the true sense of a prophet. 

Remember a true prophet could only speak the words God had given them to speak, when speaking of Jehovah!

We should understand that this power given of God, was not to be abused.

In today's meaning of the word, our own Pastor would fit this description as he too is to teach us the message given to Him by God Himself.

He is to teach us, to awaken us, and to enable us, to fulfil the will of God!

The true Pastor has a lot of responsibility to his people and to the Lord!

Our job is to pay attention and apply these things to our everyday life.

As Jehovah told Moses, in the end this Pharaoh would send the children of Israel out of his land.

In doing so he would recognize that he was no god but only a puny human being.

All these things being true we all question the next verse until we understand why.

*****Exo 7:3  And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 

Exo 7:4  But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 

Exo 7:5  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. 

We can understand the hardening of the heart when we realize that the "mercy" and the "grace" will lead to the softening of many hearts to the reality of a loving God, but there will always be those who reject the Word of God, and that same Word of God will harden those hearts in their rejection.

We see this in the Atheists of today who will get incredibly angry at those who have the message of God, such as Moses, and make attempts to close the mouths of all Christians.

This Pharaoh was not an atheist, but he considered himself a god which is not far from being the same as an atheist who denies the truth of the One God Jehovah.

It is the Word of God that hardened this Pharaohs heart as it does so many today. To deny the Word of God is to make yourself a little god just as this Pharaoh had done for himself.

People just hate the truth of the Word of God because it points out their sin and it is a sin to treat people as slaves and above that, your personal slaves!

Jehovah already knew what was going to happen and this Pharaoh was making the choice to destroy himself, just as all those who reject the Word of God today!

This is the reason Jehovah made Moses to be a god in the eyes of Pharaoh because this Pharaoh had no concept of a Supreme God.

When we serve Jehovah, He has already given us the words to say, His Words. We are His messengers just as the angels are His messengers.

Moses would then give Aaron the words to say which were the same words God had given to Moses.

If it had been really easy for the children of Israel to leave Egypt, they would never have recognized that Jehovah had made them free from this tyranny.

We should keep this in mind as we see Christian persecution today!

Those who reject the word of God are then requesting to see the wrath of God, this will be His final judgment upon them, but they could also see many things against them in this world.

Jehovah told Moses all of Israel will leave Egypt and notice that God already states that these children of Israel would be used as His armies to take the Promised Land from those wicked evil nations that we have already mentioned.

There is a purpose behind everything that God does. He does not ever second guess Himself!

All of Egypt would know that there was a God who had more power than any presumed power of all their false gods.

All of Canaan Land would know that the God of the Children of Israel was much more powerful than their own false gods!

It would be the plagues that would prove this fact.

There is no science behind what God does!

What was Moses and Aaron supposed to do?

The same thing we are to do today. It is called "faith". We are to trust that what God says He will do He will certainly do!

God has not changed His methods today and He has not lost any of His power!

*****Exo 7:6  And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. 

Exo 7:7  And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. 

We should remember that it is "disobedience" where Adam failed, and it is still disobedience where we all fail today.

We sin because we are sinners and not sinners because sin.

We see here that we are never too old to serve God! 

He will keep our health until our purpose has been fulfilled and then He will take us home to a mansion prepared for us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isa 46:4  And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. 

Isa 46:5  To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? 

There is no one like Jehovah God!

God will meet the needs of all His children, especially those He has called for specific purposes!

We must allow God to be our strength because we are just puny weak humans who truly need our God!

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 

Then God showed to Pharaoh the "rod of power".

We know the "rod of power" for the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Exo 7:17  Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 

To the Egyptians the Nile River was the great god and the river of life.

God will now show His power by making the Nile River to be a river of death.

Now we should not understand that the Nile would just change to a red color as many false believers and some scientists have stated.

The Nile from the border of Egypt and throughout Egypt turned to real blood just as God said!

The Nile, after its three main sources runs northerly for about 1150 miles.

There are none of these sources that feed the Nile in all of Egypt and Egypt gets little or better said, no rain.

The nation of Egypt receives on average three inches of rain and most of that is along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Nile River has not changed its course for six thousand years the only river to do so.

The Egyptians have said all these years that they did not need the rain because they had the Nile River.

There was blood throughout all of Egypt on this day the Lord turned the Nile into blood and the creatures in the river began to die.

For seven days the River Nile remained this way and all other sources of drinking water.

"Hopi" the Egyptian god of the Nile could do nothing about it.

Pride was a great enemy of this Pharaoh.

So, God was not yet finished.

******Exo 8:6  And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 

God proved that the elements of nature are under the control of Jehovah God.

God will now prove that the animal world is also under His direct control.

"Heket" the Egyptian god had the head of the frog, but he could not stop Jehovah!

The first plague proved that God is the only Living God, the God of the Redeemed.

The second plague will prove that God has no equal in all the gods of Egypt and not in all the world.

This swarm of frogs ruined most all property and left the threat of disease everywhere.

God loves all His creation, but He could not allow this puny Pharaoh to have a victory.

The Word of God is not just the command to go forth as God's messengers.

The Word of God gives clear and precise guidance every day of our lives!

God told Moses exactly what to do and this is all Moses had to do. 

Moses did not have to add anything to the Word of God nor does anyone today!

We will see that Jehovah gave this Pharaoh chance after chance to stop his foolishness and Jehovah does this for every national ruler no matter who they are.

The false god "Heket" was powerless!

As servants we need to know our God in a personal relationship, and we need to know His Word.

Nothing in this world is as important as these two things!

The Egyptians had another false god, and he was "Geb" the god of the dust of the earth.

Egypt had plenty of dust because there was no rain.

*****Exo 8:16  And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 

There is this place called the United Nations and they should have only one agenda.

To stop the oppression of the people of this world but they try to interfere in all levels of society with an agenda.

This is so far down their lists of things to do they, just like the rest of the world just overlook all the nations that do this and now have one agenda of Climate Change in which man can do nothing to stop.

Our world is dying!

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

We must never forget who is in charge of this world He has created for us!

Jer_31:35  Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:

There should be no slavery anywhere in this world!

There should be no oppression of any people anywhere in this world, but all the world governments are leaning in this direction!

These things are opposite to the Word of God!

Can you just imagine all the dust of Egypt becoming lice!

Lice are parasitic insects that can be found on people’s heads and bodies, including the pubic area. 

Human lice survive by feeding on human blood. Lice found on each area of the body are different from each other. 

The three types of lice that live on humans are:

Pediculus humanus capitis (head louse),

Pediculus humanus corporis (body louse, clothes louse), and

Pthirus pubis (“crab” louse, pubic louse).

Only the body louse is known to spread disease.

Ole "Geb" the Egyptian god of the dust could not answer the prayers of the Egyptians who were suffering.

They had another false god named "Khepri" who they thought as the god of all creation.

*****Exo 8:21  Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. 

Again Pharaoh rejected Jehovah the One True God.

There are few insects that are a more a nuisance creature than the fly!

On this day in Egypt the skies were no heavy with flies it was like clouds blocking the Sun.

They were so heavy that the things they landed on were covered beyond recognition.

Every place a person tried to stand, or sit, or lie down was covered with flies.

They covered everyone.

They filled all the houses.

They blackened the ground.

They too could cause disease and did.

Judgement is coming to those who reject the Lord today, but there is still time to repent.

It was too late for this Pharaoh, and he was witnessing the wrath of God and ole "Khepri", the Egyptian god of creation could not do anything to stop it.

It is at this point where Jehovah began to separate the Children of Israel, so we should note that they, the Children of Israel now believed Jehovah to be the One True God.

This Pharaoh began to play his silly games with God, but God, will not be mocked!

*****Exo 9:3  Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. 

The Egyptians had a goddess of love and protection, and they loved this goddess, but she could not stop this plague. Her name was "Hothu".

As Pharaoh continued to defy Jehovah, God continued to show this Pharaoh his gods were useless against Him.

We should understand that as Moses spoke to Pharaoh of the next judgment, this Pharaoh was always given space to repent before that judgment occurred.

Jehovah will never change from this even during all the things of the Book of Revelation!

The Egyptian economy was destroyed after this plague, and it was already suffering dearly.

Animals in this age each had a part in the daily way of life of all people. For transportation, for work, for food, for skins, for clothing, and for trade.

This would have been a wonderful time for this Pharaoh to repent but he still chose to defy the Living God.

It makes no sense at all to bring the "Judgment" of God down upon us!

1Pe 1:17  And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 

1Pe 1:18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 

1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 

The Lord Jesus judges by what He sees, and He can see into our heart. Nothing can be hidden from Him.

This Pharaoh was daring the Lord to bring His judgment with no concern for his nation, nor its people!

The word "murrain" means a great mortality would come because of this plague and remember God had isolated the children of Israel from these next plagues but one. The last one.

Most everyone has heard of the Egyptian goddess "Isis", but her powers were also non-existent.

She was known as the goddess of medicine and peace, but she is just another idol with no powers at all.

*****Exo 9:8  And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 

Exo 9:9  And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. 

Exo 9:10  And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. 

A boil, also rendered as the botch, is a burning sore like an inflamed ulcer with blains meaning violent ulcerous inflammations.

These things were not just upon the human but also upon the animals.

There was nothing the false goddess "Isis" could do to help her believers.

Now they might have wiped the dust oof of her, but this did not change anything.

There was another Egyptian goddess name "Nut" who was the goddess of the sky, let’s see if she faired any better.

*****Exo 9:22  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. 

Exo 9:23  And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 

As we know the nourishment of all crops come from God's life-giving rain.

The sky is another part of God's creation, and He has complete control of all the things that come by what we call nature!

We should understand that the "Judgment" of God is coming to this place called earth and you cannot run from it nor can you hide from it and your personal gods will be of no help to you!

According to the climate war mongers, the storms are getting more severe. 

I personally cannot say that things are much different where I live than they have been all my life.

I can remember hotter days and colder weather, long dry summers, and wet winters.

This storm the Lord is referring to here will be the second greatest of all storms. The storms of the final judgement will be even worse than this one!

There will be no true peace until the Lord of all peace returns to cause peace on this earth.

The goddess "Nut" herself could do nothing to help Egypt except to sit upon her shelf and give that blank gaze.

This storm was catastrophic to the Egyptian people. Remember God had isolated the Children of Israel.

But Pharaoh was a stubborn man.

There were still some green twigs and trees that had not been destroyed and the goddess of the sky could do nothing because she could not hear the plight of the Egyptian people.

There was another Egyptian god who is said to control storms and disorders and his name was "Seth" but he was just another idol.

*****Exo 10:12  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. 

Exo 10:13  And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 

Exo 10:14  And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.

If there were any food source left these locusts would devour it.

What have we seen so far?

You can claim to be a Christian but not saved, but it will not stop the "Judgment of God".

You can be an Atheist, but it will not stop the "Judgment of God".

You can be a Religionist and ignore the truth of God, but it will not stop the "Judgment of God".

You can just a skeptic, but it will not stop the "Judgment of God".

You can believe you can manage all the things of this life yourself but there are things out there that only Jehovah can stop!

Believing there is no such thing as a Loving God, will not stop the Judgment of God!

There is only one way to avoid the "Judgment of God" and this is to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and not be here when "God's Judgment" comes for it is coming!

Jud 1:14  And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 

Jud 1:15  To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 

And God was not through yet because this Pharaoh was a fool!

*****Exo 10:21  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 

Exo 10:22  And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: 

Exo 10:23  They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. 

Of all the things that God has done now God would show the world that "Light" is a creation, in fact we could say God's very first creation!

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

Gen 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

Gen 1:3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 

Gen 1:4  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 

In the act of Creation God had separated the Light from the Darkness and God would show this Pharaoh that His power to do so had not diminished.

It was so dark no one could see their hand in front of their face as we would say.

Even in this this Pharaoh had too much pride to give in to the "Lord of all Power"!

Nah_1:3  The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Everyone who lives knows a little about the Egyptian God "Ra" but no one could see "Ra" to wipe the dust off of him for even he was only an idol who had no power at all.

All these things just made this Pharaoh angrier, and he just threatened the messengers of God.

Remember the Pharaohs of Egypt were said to be the gods of all power, but they could not control their own destiny every one of them died and none of them have returned!

*****Exo 10:27  But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. 

Exo 10:28  And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. 

Exo 10:29  And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more. 

All these things had happened to the people of Egypt.

This Pharaoh was rich enough that they were only a nuisance to him and to his person and his family.

It would take something that hit this Pharaoh that he actually loved to ever break him and even this would not last exceedingly long.

Why are we as Christians hated in this world, especially today?

We are seeing a world grow more into Socialism and Communism. 

The leaders of these nations are tyrants, or they will soon be acting the part of tyrants as we see in our own nation today.

Look even at France and Canada and you will see these things taking place.

They do not truly know the One True God, the Lord Jesus Christ but are idolaters or even Atheists which are an abomination to God.

Christians who are true to the Lord Jesus Christ, are seen to be weak, and meek, but they are also the object of God's favor.

We could say Christians true to the Lord Jesus are the complete opposite of the national leaders of this Age and we will live in conflict with each other.

Just as this Pharaoh and to him Moses, who was just a messenger of God.

We will never agree with each other on the raising of families.

We will never agree with each other in what to teach in our schools.

We will never agree with each other in politics.

We will never agree with each other in any of the social circles.

This separation cannot be overcome without first there being a close personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the God that they have all rejected!

We cannot compromise with these who reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

They belong to Satan whether they know it or not!

God will humble this Pharaoh!

God will humble his nation!

God will humble the Children of Israel!

Amen