Last week we began a study in the book of Exodus on the person of Moses and how he was a foreshadow of Jesus. When we look at foreshadows in the Old Testament we are not saying that the person or event is actually Jesus (unless is it a Theophany = an appearance of Jesus pre-incarnate as the angel of the LORD or God in human form). When Scripture presents a person, story, or event it is recording real history, but God in His sovereignty can use it as a picture of something, or someone, to come.
There are many things in the book of Exodus that foreshadow, or picture, not only Jesus, but future events. The Exodus itself is a picture of God leading us out of bondage to sin, just as He led the Israelites out of bondage to the Egyptians. You can go really deep into this picture with particulars: Moses as a picture of Jesus, the parting of the Red Sea and coming out of the water on the other side as a picture of baptism, Pharaoh’s attempt to kill Israel’s boys is a picture of Satan’s attempt to stop the righteous seed, and the ten plagues are a picture of judgment to come in the book of Revelation.
Jewish readers in the first century A.D. would understanding the illusion back to the book of Exodus and the ten plagues when they read what John writes about future events in the book of Revelation. Below is a reference citing these illusions, though many are not directly correlated, the picture of judgment then and future judgment comes through loud and clear.
Table of Plagues:
Includes Egyptian gods defeated, and their Revelation reference
Note: Pharaoh’s Magicians via satanic powers duplicate the first two plagues; the subsequent plagues cannot be duplicated showing the weakness of their powers against almighty God, the Creator of all things.
Plague #1:
- Blood in the Nile River kills all living things in the water and damages the water supply
- Egyptian gods defeated – Khnum: Guardian of Nile, Hapi: Spirit of the Nile, Osiris: guardian of the underworld and the Nile was his blood stream, Sepek: crocodile god, Neith: Lapes fish protector, Hathor: Chromis fish protector
- Rev. 8:8 – Second Trumpet judgment one third of the sea became blood; Rev. 11:6 – The two Witnesses bring blood to the waters
Plague #2:
- Frogs cover the land everywhere inside and out
- Egyptian gods defeated – Hapi: Spirit of the Nile fertility god associated with the arrival of frogs, and Heqt: Fertility god with head of a frog and body of a woman
- Revelation 16:13 – Release of frog-like demons (frogs are associated with demons or demonic activity)
Plague #3:
- Swarms of insects/gnats invade the land and infect the animals and people
- Egyptian gods defeated – Uatchit: Protector of swarming insects, Seb: Protector from lice
- Revelation 11:6 – Swarm of plagues are released by the two Witnesses
Plague #4:
- Flies (Dogflies) invade the land and because they are blood-sucking biting flies they infect both animal and human, but not the Hebrews—(this type of fly could have been responsible for blindness that was recorded at record highs in Egyptian men at this time)
- Egyptian god defeated – Baalzebub: god of the flies (representative of Satan)
- Revelation 11:6 – “All the plagues” released by the two Witnesses
Plague #5:
- Pestilence invades animals outside in the fields, except for the Hebrews’ animals (some believe this is the anthrax bacteria which is deadly to animals)
- Egyptian gods defeated – Apis: Sacred bull kept out in the open, Mnevis: Sacred bull of the god Ra (the sun god/king of the gods), Hathor: Cow goddess, Knom: Ram-like god
- Revelation 6:7-8 – Fourth Seal Judgment – famine and pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth
Plague #6:
- Boils infect all humans, except for the Hebrews (Some believe these were “Nile Blisters” similar to those caused by Scarlet Fever)
- Egyptian gods defeated – Sekhmet: (body of a woman, head of a lioness) god over epidemics, Serapis: god of healing, Imhotep: god of medicines
- Revelation 16:2 – First Bowl Judgment – ugly painful sores broke out on the people
Plague #7:
- Hail rained down on the land destroying all that was in the fields: Crops, animals and humans, but it does not affect the Hebrews or their land
- Egyptian gods defeated – Shu: sky god and son of Ra (the sun god/king of the gods), Nut: Sky goddess, Seth: agricultural god, Isis: agricultural goddess
- Revelation 8:7 and 16:17-21 – First Trumpet Judgment – hail and fire rained down on the earth; and Seventh Bowl Judgment – hailstones, thunder and lightening
Plague #8:
- Locust swarmed and destroyed everything that the hail left behind, but not in the land of Goshen where the Hebrews lived
- Egyptian gods defeated – Seth: Agricultural god in the image of a locust, Isis: agricultural goddess
- Revelation 9:1-12 – Fifth Trumpet Judgment – locust come out of the smoke from the opening of the Abyss
Plague #9:
- Darkness covered the land and its thickness could be “felt” by the people and they could do nothing for three days, but light covered the land of Goshen where the Hebrews lived
- Egyptian gods defeated – Multiple list of sun, moon and star gods including Ra: the sun god and king of the gods, Thoth: the moon god, and Nut: the sky goddess
- Revelation 16:10 – Fifth Bowl Judgment – kingdom plunged into darkness
Plague #10:
- Death of the firstborn of all people and beasts, this included people of any age, but not the Hebrews if they followed God’s direction of the blood of the lamb on the doorposts, death would “pass-over” them
- Egyptian god defeated – This plague is directed toward Pharaoh himself and any final hope that one of their gods had power to do anything
- Revelation 21-22 – Jesus fulfills the Passover requirements as the perfect, sinless, sacrifice that permanently atones/covers our sins forever so that we can spend eternity in the New Jerusalem to come
It is important to keep in mind the Spiritual warfare that is constantly taking place in the Biblical stories. This warfare is real and Satan, his demons, and people that are working for them are just as active today as they were then. The way they do it: Deception of the people and control of governing bodies that have allegiance to anything except the God of the Bible. Pride, lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes are the main weapons used by Satan and we need to be aware of how they are being used, in ourselves and those around us.
Skeptics love to say that the Biblical accounts are just myth or fables that have no evidence to support them. The powers that be in academia (where atheism has the majority rule) have models in place that contradict the Biblical accounts, so when evidence is presented in support of the Bible it is often thrown out or tucked away. This is true for science concerning evolutionary theory, and it is also true in history.
Going Deeper:
Study with Pastor Stephen Armstrong as he teaches verse by verse through the book of Exodus (click here): Verse by Verse Ministries
Watch this short clip on evidence outside the Bible for the Biblical account of the “Plagues of Exodus:”
Focus Points for Bible Study:
Read Exodus Chapters 5-11
Chapters 5-11 focuses on the “plagues” as God demonstrates, through Moses and Aaron, His supremacy over the gods and rulers of Egypt. Also notices the Covenant Promise being expanded and passed on to the Nation of Israel as a whole and not just through individuals as we saw in Genesis.
God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord.’” Exodus 6:2-8
Bible Study Review:
- Describe the interaction between Pharaoh and Moses the first time Moses said, “Thus say the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go…’” What did Pharaoh do in response? (5:1-23)
- What does God promise to Moses in reference to the Covenant given to Abraham? How did the people of Israel respond when Moses tried to tell them of God’s plan? (6:1-9)
- Review the ten plague and how Pharaoh responded before and after each of the plagues: (6:4-11:10; and 12:30 and 14:5-6) Reflect on God’s sovereignty throughout this story towards Pharaoh, Moses, and the people of Israel.
- Reflect on the similarities between the Exodus plagues and the judgments from the book of Revelation and jot down some of your thoughts.
- Application: Have we experienced “hardness of heart” toward God, and also experienced God’s hesed (unconditional love)? The important point might be where we choose to stay.
Join us next week as we continue our “Case for the Old Testament” with a focus on the Exodus and the Red Sea Crossing!
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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.
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Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15
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