The Greater Exodus, the Pattern - Part 2 of 2

We left off with the third plague (Blisters / Boils) in the second set of three. Now, let’s move on to the last three in the third set, and the final plague ... Death of the First Borns. 

By the way, the three sets of three is also a pattern that is repeated in Revelation. Can you find it?

7. Hail mixed with Fire 

Pharaoh just didn’t understand with whom he was dealing. Neither do we when we choose to be lawless (Torah-less) and/or when we prefer “our” way over “His” way. 

Yahweh finally unleashes the last set of plagues beginning with “hail such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded.” (Exodus 9:18-35) Only those (the holy and set-apart people) living in Goshen were protected from the devastation. 

This plague struck at the height of the flax and barley harvest season, and uncovered the idolatry and worthless worship of the sky goddess Nut, the goddess of life Isis, and Seth the protector of crops. 

Have you considered that hail is really a form of stone? In the Old Testament, Yahweh demanded / commanded that those who rejected Torah be stoned in order to wipe out evil and wickedness from the community of people who worshipped Him and followed Torah. And yes, stoning is coming again ... the likes of which has never, ever been seen before.    

Exodus 9:24 says ... “So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.”

Job 38 says ... 22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 23 Which I have reserved for the time of distress, for the day of war and battle?

And Revelation shows where those storehouses will be unleashed ... 

The Seventh Seal: 8:7 “The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.”

The Seventh Bowl of Wrath: 16:21 “And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, *came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague *was extremely severe.”

Seventh Seal and Seventh Bowl of Wrath. Coincidence?

And Ezekiel 38 tells us what will happen during the battle of Gog and Magog: 

22 “With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone.”

We will come full circle in Yahweh’s system of justice with stoning of the wicked.

8. Locusts

What the hail did not destroy, the plague of locusts finished. (Exodus 10:1-20)

Exodus 10:5 “They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They will also eat the rest of what has escaped—what is left to you from the hail—and they will eat every tree which sprouts for you out of the field.”

While the hail hit during the flax and barley harvest, the locusts took out the wheat and spelt crops, and every last bit of greenery was eaten. Once again, Yahweh defamed and mocked the false gods of the fields (Anubis), locusts (Isis), and crops (Seth). 

The locusts of Revelation are of another variety entirely. They do not attack crops, but people. Unclean people, the not-His people, the “Olam Hazeh”. 

The Fifth Trumpet: Revelation 9:3 “3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. 6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.

7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. 11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.”

Five months of torment that will feel like hell but not even come close to what really awaits those who reject Yeshua HaMashiach. 

9. Darkness

And finally, the third plague of the third set. With no warning, a darkness so black that it permeates very single one of the human senses covers Egypt.

Exodus 10:21 ... Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky that there may be darkness (choshek) over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt. 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They did not see one another nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.” (Exodus 10:21-29) 

Choshek is a darkness that denotes misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, and wickedness. It is a picture of the complete removal of Yahweh’s presence over Egypt (the sinful world). However, those in Goshen had light showing that Yahweh’s Presence remains with His children (the called out, set apart people). 

This plague attacks the sun god, Ra. What is very sad to me is how much paganism related to Ra still infects Christianity and the church today. When we fellowship with darkness, we cannot fellowship with Yahweh. 

2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God;” 

10. Death of the First-borns

And, the last and final plague is detailed in Exodus 11, and it takes direct aim at Pharaoh himself. The man-king who believed himself a god, and whose first-born son would also be a god. Therefore, this plague took the “future” god of Egypt and resulted in the Pharaohs’ agreement to “Let God’s people go.”

Pharaoh refused to understand - or believe - that there is only One God, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That was true then; it remains true today; and it will remain true throughout eternity.

As Egypt went through judgment, Israel prepared for their redemption through the Passover.

There is a reaping in Revelation, too ... only it won’t be limited to the first-borns who believe they are gods and who worship false gods, but for all who do. The Reapers are mentioned in Revelation 14. 

14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. 20 And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.

What idols are you holding on to that Yahweh will destroy? Perhaps now, today, is a good day to let go. 

Those of us who are sealed for the day of redemption have nothing to fear from those judgments or our current tribulation(s) or any future tribulations. Just as Yahweh protected His children in Egypt, so He will protect us.

Now that we’ve established the pattern of the Greater Exodus, next up I’ll talk about the picture this creates for us and the lessons from the Exodus we can / should learn before the Greater Exodus.