Miraculous Plagues

Faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God. Without it, we are lost and without hope. Faith is supernatural cash, and it must be used to purchase favor with God and anything of everlasting proportion. Romans 10:8-10:

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Faith in Christ and your confession of Him unto yourself and others breaks the back of Satan’s bondage and opens the doors of eternal salvation. Hebrews 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.

Without faith, we are bereft of all good things.

At the time of this printing, there are nearly 300 subjects on GodSaidManSaid. New information pouring in every Thursday eve proves the truth of God’s Holy Bible. Secularism and theistic humanism attack incessantly, but be assured that God is never wrong, and that in battle, God never loses. Regardless of man’s feeble challenges, God is still God and He will do His good pleasure. II Timothy 2:13:

If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

If you have yet to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and confess with your mouth that He is the Lord of your life, you can do it right now. Click onto "Further With Jesus" for immediate entry. Do it today and begin to build eternal wealth. Faith is supernatural currency. Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, Exodus 3:15-22:

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:

22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

MAN SAID: The Bible is a book of fairy tales. There is no God. A so-called "miracle" is simply a coincidence.

Now THE RECORD. Skeptics feel comfortable challenging the Word of God while hiding behind the wall of time, but this just doesn’t work. Not only was the account of the Exodus not effectively challenged for thousands of years, but the greatest minds of all time fully endorsed the veracity of the Moses record. Besides being unquestionably believed by the multitude of Jews and their historic leader, Joshua, it is certified by the great prophet Samuel, King David, Solomon, Asa, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, Jude, Jesus Christ, the King of Glory and Savior of our souls, and of course, His Holy Father, God. For some, this list may not be sufficient. Time and space prohibit listing of all the great men and women who fully embraced the record of God’s Word concerning the servant of God named Moses. But one man in particular sums it up well. He said:

We reject with scorn all those learned and labored myths that Moses was but a legendary figure upon whom the priesthood and the people hung their essential social, moral, and religious ordinances. We believe that the most scientific view, the most up-to-date and rational conception, will find its fullest satisfaction in taking the Bible story literally. We may be sure that all these things happened just as they are set out according to Holy Writ. We may believe that they happened to people not so very different from ourselves, and that the impressions those people received were faithfully recorded, and have been transmitted across the centuries with far more accuracy than many of the telegraphed accounts we read of goings on of today. In the words of a forgotten work of Mr. Gladstone, we rest with assurance upon "The Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture." Let all men of science and learning expand their knowledge, and probe with their researches, every detail of the records which have been preserved to us from those dim ages. All they will do is to fortify the grand simplicity and essential accuracy of these recorded truths which have so far lighted the pilgrimage of man.

That man was Winston Churchill.

The record of Moses, the great plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea and miraculous 40-year trek through the wilderness have been ridiculed by the ungodly; but believers can relax, for the more research that pours in, the more ridiculous the revisionists look.

The Word of God declares in Exodus that great plagues came down upon Egypt because of the cruelty to which the Israelites were subjected. In all, there were 10 astronomical plagues: the water turning to blood, the plague of frogs, the plagues of lice and flies, grievous murrain killing all the cattle of Egypt, and the plague of boils falling upon man and beast. Next came thunder and hail, with fire running upon the ground destroying all the herbs of the field and breaking the trees. The next plague was locusts that covered the earth and ate every green thing. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, continued to resist the Word of God that He had given to Moses. The next curse was darkness—three days of darkness—so dark that it could be felt. The final plague was the slaying of all the first-born in Egypt.

As the Biblical historic record of the great plagues of Egypt begins, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is not in a very receptive mood. Who is this Moses that supposedly represents the God of the Hebrews? Pharaoh could have rationally deduced, "I am Pharaoh and I rule over the most powerful nation on earth. We Egyptians are revered and feared and no one dares to challenge Pharaoh. The Hebrews are our slaves. Does it make any sense to submit ourselves to the whims of the Hebrews and their impotent God? It is apparent to the entire world that the gods of the Egyptians are the powerful ones."

When the last of the 10 plagues is announced by God, this telling statement is made (Exodus 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."

The famed and honored historian Flavius Josephus was born just a few years after the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. In his histories, he writes concerning the plagues and records the following discourse in regard to the first plague:

But when the king despised the words of Moses, and had no regard at all to them, grievous plagues seized the Egyptians; every one of which I will describe, both because no such plagues did ever happen to any other nation as the Egyptians now felt, —and because I would demonstrate that Moses did not fail in any one thing that he foretold them; and because it is for the good of mankind, that they may learn this caution: —Not to do any thing that may displease God, lest he be provoked to wrath, and avenge their iniquities upon them. For the Egyptian river ran with bloody water at the command of God, insomuch that it could not be drunk, and they had no other spring of water neither; for the water was not only of the colour of blood, but it brought upon those that ventured to drink it, great pains and bitter torment. Such was the river to the Egyptians; but it was sweet and fit for drinking to the Hebrews, and no way different from what it naturally used to be. As the king therefore knew not what to do in these surprising circumstances, and was in fear for the Egyptians, he gave the Hebrews leave to go away; but when the plague ceased, he changed his mind again, and would not suffer them to go.[End of quote]

Keep in mind that the God of the Hebrews said, "...and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD." The first plague was against the waters Egypt. The Nile was classified by them as a powerful life-sustaining god. The ninth plague, just before the ultimate back-breaking final plague, was the three days of darkness. This was the humiliation of Egypt’s chief "deity," Amon-Re, the sun god. Josephus leaves us the following comment concerning the plague of darkness:

But Pharaoh, led not so much by his folly as by his wickedness, even when he saw the cause of his miseries, he still contested with God, and willfully deserted the cause of virtue; so he bid Moses take the Hebrews away, with their wives and children, but to leave their cattle behind, since their own cattle were destroyed. But when Moses said that what he desired was unjust, since they were obliged to offer sacrifices to God of those cattle; and the time being prolonged on this account, a thick darkness, without the least light, spread itself over the Egyptians, whereby their sight being obstructed, and their breathing hindered by the thickness of the air, they died miserably, and under a terror lest they should be swallowed up by the dark cloud. Besides this, when the darkness, after three days and as many nights, was dissipated, and when Pharaoh did not still repent and let the Hebrews go, Moses came to him and said, "How long wilt thou be disobedient to the command of God? for he enjoins thee to let the Hebrews go; nor is there any other way of being freed from the calamities you are under, unless you do so."

Concerning the tenth and ultimate plague, the following excerpt is from a GodSaidManSaid feature article titled, "Moses Challenged:"

In Halley’s Bible Handbook, the following is noted under the heading, "Archaeological Note:"

Death of Pharaoh’s First-Born. Inscriptions have been found indicating that Thothmes IV, successor of Amenhotep II, was not his first-born nor heir-apparent.

Also that Mernaptah’s first-born met death in peculiar circumstances, and his successor was not his first-born nor heir-apparent.

So, whichever the Pharaoh, the Biblical statement is confirmed. [End of quote]

The ultimate devastation—the slaying of the first-born of all of Egypt, the destruction of the first fruits of life itself—broke Pharaoh’s grasp. Pharaoh himself was viewed as a deity and known as the "Ka" or "life force." The Egyptian claim was that he would rule for eternity in the afterworld. He and the gods of Egypt were brought to their knees before the God of the Hebrews.

One of the last things that happened to the Egyptian people before the physical exodus begins with their spoiling. Exodus 3:21-22:

21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:

22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

The following paragraphs are also from the article, "Moses Challenged:"

The following report is found in The International Jerusalem Post, November 28, 2003, p31:

The recent publicity garnered by the Egyptian professor who intends to file a lawsuit against the Jewish people and the State of Israel for the return of the gold, silver, and clothing taken by the Israelites when they left Egyptian bondage over three millennia ago caused me to think how ancient scores are never really settled—at least when they involve the Jews. The academic who claims to be filing this class-action suit is perhaps unaware that this tactic was attempted before—in fact, it was employed over 23 centuries ago, when Alexander the Great ruled both Egypt and the Land of Israel.

The Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin relates that Egyptian representatives appeared before Alexander and asked that he demand from the Jews the return of all of the wealth taken by them when they left Egyptian slavery a millennium earlier. Alexander sent a notice to the Jewish elders in Jerusalem asking for a representative to present the Jewish side of the dispute.

The rabbis sent a man by the name of Gavha, who was small in stature but very clever. His defense was that if one were to start down the slippery road of adjudicating ancient claims, then the Egyptians still owed the Jews for centuries of slave labor. Alexander, no fool himself, realized the morass that he had placed himself in by agreeing to judge the case, and decided to dismiss the matter altogether. [End of quote]

Could it be? Could the miraculous stories of the Bible be true? Is there a God of the Hebrews after all? Is there a living God who concerns himself with the affairs of men? More information to consider follows.

Many of the plagues in Exodus can be historically established. The early chapters of the book also speak of atrocities committed by the Egyptian Pharaoh. For instance, Pharaoh becomes unhappy with Moses’ request to let the children of Israel take off from labor for a few days to bring a sacrifice to God. As punishment, Pharaoh commands them to go out and find their own straw for brick making. But they still needed to produce the same daily number of bricks even though Pharaoh refused to supply them with the necessary straw.

There was a man named Eric Pete, an Egyptologist at the University of Liverpool. He contested the scriptures concerning the mentioning of straw and brick and said this: "The use of straw in the making of brick in ancient times was somewhat rare and the suggestion by Biblical writers that straw was used demonstrates their ignorance of Egyptian customs and practice." A lot of people who stand against the word of God are like Mr. Pete, not having done all their homework.

Mr. Pete must not have known about the ancient Egyptian document, the Papyrus Anasta, which contains the complaint of an Egyptian officer who had to erect buildings on the frontier of Egypt. He wrote, "I am without equipment. There are no people to make bricks and there is no straw in the district." Evidently, Mr. Pete didn’t have an opportunity to read about that document.

As you go on through the Scriptures, you read of one of the great and notable miracles that happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness. Numbers 11:31-32:

31 And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

This is a story recorded in the scriptures that takes place with the children of Israel during their trek through the wilderness. Skeptical men have found it very hard to believe that these quail would have come in such numbers, and secondly that they could be so easily caught. Could such a thing be?

The following excerpt is from a book titled The Bible As History. It’s used in universities.

The Exodus of the Israelites began in the spring, the time of the great bird migrations from Africa, which in summer becomes unbearably hot and dry. Birds have from time immemorial migrated to Europe along two routes. One route goes via the west coast of Africa to Spain, the other via the Eastern Mediterranean to the Baltics. The early months of the year, quails along with other birds fly across the Red Sea, which they must cross on the eastern route. Exhausted by their long flight, they lie on its flat shores to gather fresh strength for the next stage of their journey over the high mountains to the Mediterranean.

Josephus, the historian, describes an experience of this kind. Even today, the Bedouins of this area catch the exhausted quails in spring and autumn by hand.

An ancient Egyptian document, recently unearthed by archaeologists, called the "Papyrus Document" is an eyewitness record of the phenomenal plagues. The document speaks of the water turning to blood, of diseased cattle, of strange fire, gross darkness, and of the slaying of the first- born in Egypt." These Biblical records (especially concerning the horrendous supernatural plagues of Egypt) have been easy prey for the skeptics in the past—but only the unlearned ones.

Finally, J. P. Free, author of Archaeology and Bible History, points out that those who struggle to supply a humanistic explanation for the supernatural plagues of Egypt have not considered the five points that assure us of these miraculous events:

1. Intensification. Not just frogs, for instance, but frogs in your house, in your bedchamber, on your bed, in the servants’ houses, upon the people, in your ovens, in your kneading troughs, etc.

2. Prediction. Moses predicts the beginning and the ending.

3. Discrimination. None of the plagues that struck the Egyptian people affected the Hebrews who dwelt in Goshen which was an integral and central part of Egypt.

4. Orderliness. The plagues increased in intensity until the slaying of the first-born.

5. Moral Purpose. These were not just freaks of nature.

The naysayers will continue to say "nay" until the day they say "yes", and it is nearer than they could ever imagine.

GOD SAID, Exodus 3:15-22:

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:

22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

MAN SAID: The Bible is a book of fairy tales. There is no God. A so-called "miracle" is simply a coincidence.

Now you have THE RECORD.




References:

Authorized King James Version

Free, J.P., Archaeology and Bible History

Halley’s Bible Handbook, p77

Josephus, F., Josephus Complete Works, Kregel Publications, p60

Keller, W., The Bible As History, Bantam Books

Wein, B., "Settling Old Claims," The International Jerusalem Post, 11/28/03, p31

 

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