PLAGUE #9: THICK DARKNESS WHICH COVERED EGYPT THREE DAYS.

(Exo. 10:22-23). And Moses Stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt, three days:

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.

• - God enforced a total house lock down and curfew over Egypt using a thick darkness. Goshen, nevertheless had light.
• - Pharaoh wouldn’t let Israel go, and God announced the next Plague over Egypt.

• - But for frustration of not being able to see his wife, his children, and servants, and anything within his reach, he finally gave in and declared to Moses and Aaron:

(a). Get thee out from me;

(b). Take heed to yourself;

(c). See my face no more;

(d). If I see your face again, thou shalt die.

      -    Recall, Colin’s and, or Webster’s definition of Plague: It is any; fast; troubling; wide spreading infectious fatal disease; affliction; infestation; calamity, or evil cause of trouble; with continual annoyance; vexation and torment.

Many of the Plagues we have so far examined, fit this characterization. See, how one would feel, not being able to see anything, or person for three days. There is no death involved directly, but it is very annoying and tantalizing.

-     Can you figure out a blackout from electricity failure? This darkness was more than that. The Bible says, it could be felt

-     Pharaoh was speaking to Moses from darkness, but Moses was in light and could

see him, but he wouldn’t see Moses. Isn’t that truly frustrating?

• - While Pharaoh was still groping in darkness, God announced the next and last Plague over Egypt. (The death of all first-Born sons of all Egyptians; and of their beasts)

• - That day was also going to be the Day of Deliverance, and Exodus of all Israel from Egypt.

PLAGUE #10: DEATH:

(A).  FIRST-BORNS OF HUMANS; AND OF EGYPTIAN BEASTS WERE SLAIN IN ONE NIGHT.

(B).  DROWNING OF ALL PHARAOH’S CHARIOTS; HORSES AND THEIR RIDERS AT RED SEA.

• - Remember God’s word (Rom. 12:19) says: “... vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord”
• - The Pharaoh who knew not Joseph, had ordered the killing of every male son born to a Hebrew family in order to control and/or reduce their population, least they become the majority and make the Egyptians the minority.

(Exo. 1:16-17): And THE KING OF EGYPT spake to the HEBREW MIDWIVES, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:

 

And he said, WHEN YE DO THE OFFICE OF A MIDWIFE to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; IF IT BE A SON, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

 

• - Man has always done this for the same exact reason. It is not new. It is still happening on earth today in many nations, just as Solomon said in the book of Ecclesiastes:

(Eccl. 1:9-10):

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

 

Is there any thing whereof it may be said, SEE, THIS IS NEW? IT HATH BEEN ALREADY OF OLD TIME, WHICH WAS BEFORE US.

 

• - Politicians in Pharaoh’s Egypt, then, and Medical Professionals worked hands in gloves, to control and/or reduce the demographic status of the children of Israel in Egypt, in those days.
• - We have glaring historical records and current practices of the same; in modern times. It is no new thing under the sun.

• - The Just God recompensed Egypt for what they did to the Hebrew Children in Egypt.

He will respond in the same way today, for any Nation on Earth that does the same.

• - Surely, the Just God Almighty repaid the Hebrew babies fed to the crocodiles of the River Nile through the 10^th Plague upon Egypt.  The adults were repaid at the Red Sea. (See detail down below)

 

• - Egypt has never recovered from the effects of those ten plagues.

• - Indifference to God-sent Plagues by a nation is very costly in every way fathomable.

 

• - National sin, is recompensed by Him who decreed: “... vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord”

 

(A).  FIRST-BORN SONS OF MAN; AND OF EGYPTIAN BEASTS WERE SLAIN IN ONE NIGHT.

• - (Exo. 11:5-7) The Lord told Moses what he was going to do next:

And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, (heir); even unto the first of the maid servant, that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

 

And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like anymore.

But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: THAT YE MAY HOW that THE LORD DOTH PUT A DIFFERENCE between THE EGYPTIANS and ISRAEL.

 

• - There are several LAWS OF GOD IN PLAY, in those moves of God:

(i). (GAL. 6:7); Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever A MAN SOWETH, that SHALL HE ALSO REAP.

(ii). (Matt. 7:12); Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would THAT MEN SHOULD DO TO YOU, DO YE EVEN SO TO THEM: for this is the Law and the Prophets.

(iii). Whatever is DONE IN DARKNESS .... shall be EXPOSE IN BROAD DAY LIGHT... And whatever is WHISPERED I SECRET, ....  will be BROADCAST ON HOUSE TOPS.

 

(iii). Out there, in the world, there is a saying, “WHAT GOES AROUND... COMES AROUND”  

• - Pharaoh, either, WILFULLY, or OUT OF IGNORANCE, provoked God unto wrath, and both HIMSELF and the ENTIRE EGYPT, suffered. God did it for a lesson for THE WHOLE WORLD TO LEARN FROM. But will LEADERS EVER LEARN?

• - Instead of humbling themselves as the KING OF NINEVEH, did, (Jonah 3:4-10); Pharaoh wanted to prove to Moses and his God HOW RESILIENT he and THE EGYPTIANS ARE.

But, the Lord God proved, he meant what he said. He proved himself as The Lord God Almighty that Night;

(Exo. 12:29-30): And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

 

And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

• - God, fully, recompensed the Egyptians for the HEBRWE BABIES, ordered by Pharaoh to be cast to crocodiles in the River Nile.

(Exo. 1:22): And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, EVERY SON THAT IS BORN, YE SHALL CAST INTO THE RIVER, and EVERY DAUGHTER YE SHALL SAVE ALIVE.

• - EVERY LIFE MATTERS, in God’s eyes, here on earth. And everyone has THE RIGHT TO LIVE. There is a price to pay for those who think differently.

• - God saw the tears of those mothers, whose babies were cast into the River Nile. He also, heard their cry. This was Egypt’s reaping time of what their fathers sowed. Are there any lessons to glean from these recorded events?

 

(B).  DROWNING OF ALL PHARAOH’S CHARIOTS; HORSES AND THEIR RIDERS AT RED SEA.

• - (Exo.14: 4): And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so.

 

• - After the Hebrew Children left Egypt, Pharaoh was infuriated and decided to pursue them to bring them back to bondage and slavery:

(Exo.14: 6-7). And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:

And he took six hundred chosen chariots and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.

• - Moses was given to assure the Children of Israel that they were safe from any harm from Pharaoh’s army.

(Exo. 14:13-14) ... Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever

The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold thy peace.

That final battle was fought in the middle of the Red Sea.

• - (i). God opened the Red Sea waters to give Israel a passage on dry land.
• - (ii). Pharaoh’s army walked into their final trap after Israel.
• - (iii). God Blocked Pharaoh’s army by a Cloud of Darkness so that they could not see the children of Israel and yet, the Same Cloud was light on the side of the children of Israel.

• - (iv). God led Israel infront as Pilar of fire to give them light.
• - (v). Then God took off the wheels from off their chariot so that the driving became heavy and dreary.

• - (vi). Then the Egyptians said, “let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians”
• - (vii). Finally, God instructed Moses to stretch forth his hand over the sea that the waters may come upon the Egyptians; their chariots; and their horsemen. Moses did, and the waters returned to its full strength and drowned them all in the Red Sea, leaving not even one.

• - (viii). Inspired, Moses then sang a song of victory and triumph; while his sister Miriam and all the women played their Timbrels and danced.

 

(Exo.15:1-21): “... I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumph gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

 

The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him my habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him

• - The Lord is a man of war: The Lord is his name.
• - The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.

 

Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters

 

Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

• - Truly, there was jubilation as never before over the freedom from cruel task masters of Egypt, now all gone.
• - What the Lord told Peter at Gethsemane was reminiscence of this occasion: At Jesus’s arrest, Peter had drawn his sword and cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant. Then Jesus said;

(Matt. 26:52)

“Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take sword shall perish with the sword”

 

• - Many Hebrew children in Egypt, at the hands of their task masters perished in the waters of the Nile.

• - It was time to recompense them at the waters of the Red Sea.

God’s justice is eye for eye; tooth for tooth; hand for hand; foot for foot.

 

• - Because of Pharaoh’s obstinate response to all nine plagues upon Egypt, God finally brought the entire nation to its knees through Judgment by death. There was a cry in every family that remained alive after the nineth plague.
• - Read on, [Part 4].

35 The judgments had been falling, and the last judgment now was ready to fall. God was going to fulfill His Word, to the letter. And all those judgments back there was a perfect sign, or a perfect type, of the judgments which are ready to fall now.

36 And if you’ll notice, before the judgment fell. Now ministers may disagree with me on this, which is all right. But before the judgment started hitting Egypt, God sent Israel to Goshen. They were in Goshen, and no plague fell on them. A perfect type of the Church carried over, through the tribulation, see. All right.

37 Then at the last plague that struck the earth there, or struck Egypt, was death. All you Bible readers here, know your Sunday school lessons and so forth, has taken this, perhaps, many times. But death was the last enemy that struck Egypt.

38 And the last enemy that’s going to strike the church now is death, spiritually speaking. Those who will not follow Christ, in baptism of the Holy Spirit, will spiritually dry up and die; the churches, you can see it now. ... (54-0329 - Redemption By Power.) W.M. Branham

Watch very closely all the SHADOWS and TYPES connected to all the 10 Plagues which befell Egypt in the Old Testament. Especially, taking note that; A Prophet in the Land; He had A Message to deliver; There were a people to be delivered; there was a place of perfect shelter; atonement blood was provided; they were equipped with shoes, and garments which never got worn out.

(CONTINUE ON TO: Part 4)

Pastor Martin Tombe.

Restored Bible Truth Assembly.