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Cost of freedom: Why plagues are necessary at the Exodus and Day of the LORD
Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.1Corinthians 10:11 NASB
The gavel falls, and the sentence is prison. The citizen turned felon doesn’t want to go, but the behavior is so heinous that the public is at risk. So, a peaceful society must take the extraordinary step of using violence — taking hold of the prisoner, putting on shackles, even lifting the perpetrator off the ground at times. Peace can return when the violent one is safely secured.
Now, imagine the challenge when the fate of the world is at stake. The Creator created Israel long ago to be a society of intercessors for the entire world (Ex. 19:5–6; 1Pet. 2:9–10; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6), to help mankind reconnect with the Source of life and existence. So, Israel’s freedom meant the world’s freedom, and Israel’s release from the hold of empire and false sources of life was necessary for the world. And to do that took breaking the ancient empire that thought it controlled Israel’s bodies, hearts and minds.
Likewise, the Holy One of Israel has shown us through messengers that on “that day,” aka the Day of the LORD, that it will again take the force of Heaven to break the powers holding captive all nations.
This is the pattern of the first Exodus and the last Exodus: Turn back to the Creator, follow the Liberator, trust the Redeemer and submit to the Healer, Who gives us a new name, a new identity.
Table Of Contents
In the Torah reading בא Bo (“come,” Exodus 10:1–13:16), Pharaoh still had to be convinced that God was the one with the overwhelming power, not himself. Unfortunately because of Pharaoh’s pride and hardness of heart — partly a product of pride and partly of Heaven — God had to literally destroy Egypt’s economic and military superpower status to do so.
This had to happen to show not only Egypt, but the entire world, Who is truly in charge. And it wasn’t an emperor or a so-called deity (Ex. 12:12). It was only after the death of the first-born of Egypt, including his own son and heir, that Pharaoh was finally convinced that it was in his best interest to let Israel go.
Major cities of the world sprout out along river ways, the living water that flows in and out attracts settlement and commerce. This is true of the Nile, the Mississippi, the Danube, etc. The children of Israel had settled in the land of Goshen, which is where the Nile empties into the Mediterranean, which was a land full of life, but it because a lander of suffering and death for the children of Israel.
God turned the tables and made Egypt a land of suffering and death for the Egyptians until they relented and set the Israelite slaves free.
Exodus and Revelation plague parallels
We talked recently about how the Day of the LORD is compared to the first Exodus but is foretold to be much more significant. When we look at the plagues in Egypt, as recorded in Exodus 7–13, there are very interesting parallels in Revelation 8–11; 15–16:
Trumpet plagues (Rev. 8–11)Plagues in Exodus 7–12Trumpet 1: 1/3 earthPlague 7: HailTrumpet 2: 1/3 sea (source of food)Plague 5: Livestock killedTrumpet 3: 1/3 rivers (drinking and irrigation)Plague 1: Blood in the NileTrumpet 4: 1/3 heavensPlague 9: DarknessTrumpet 5: Locust demon...
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By Hallel FellowshipNow these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.1Corinthians 10:11 NASB
The gavel falls, and the sentence is prison. The citizen turned felon doesn’t want to go, but the behavior is so heinous that the public is at risk. So, a peaceful society must take the extraordinary step of using violence — taking hold of the prisoner, putting on shackles, even lifting the perpetrator off the ground at times. Peace can return when the violent one is safely secured.
Now, imagine the challenge when the fate of the world is at stake. The Creator created Israel long ago to be a society of intercessors for the entire world (Ex. 19:5–6; 1Pet. 2:9–10; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6), to help mankind reconnect with the Source of life and existence. So, Israel’s freedom meant the world’s freedom, and Israel’s release from the hold of empire and false sources of life was necessary for the world. And to do that took breaking the ancient empire that thought it controlled Israel’s bodies, hearts and minds.
Likewise, the Holy One of Israel has shown us through messengers that on “that day,” aka the Day of the LORD, that it will again take the force of Heaven to break the powers holding captive all nations.
This is the pattern of the first Exodus and the last Exodus: Turn back to the Creator, follow the Liberator, trust the Redeemer and submit to the Healer, Who gives us a new name, a new identity.
Table Of Contents
In the Torah reading בא Bo (“come,” Exodus 10:1–13:16), Pharaoh still had to be convinced that God was the one with the overwhelming power, not himself. Unfortunately because of Pharaoh’s pride and hardness of heart — partly a product of pride and partly of Heaven — God had to literally destroy Egypt’s economic and military superpower status to do so.
This had to happen to show not only Egypt, but the entire world, Who is truly in charge. And it wasn’t an emperor or a so-called deity (Ex. 12:12). It was only after the death of the first-born of Egypt, including his own son and heir, that Pharaoh was finally convinced that it was in his best interest to let Israel go.
Major cities of the world sprout out along river ways, the living water that flows in and out attracts settlement and commerce. This is true of the Nile, the Mississippi, the Danube, etc. The children of Israel had settled in the land of Goshen, which is where the Nile empties into the Mediterranean, which was a land full of life, but it because a lander of suffering and death for the children of Israel.
God turned the tables and made Egypt a land of suffering and death for the Egyptians until they relented and set the Israelite slaves free.
Exodus and Revelation plague parallels
We talked recently about how the Day of the LORD is compared to the first Exodus but is foretold to be much more significant. When we look at the plagues in Egypt, as recorded in Exodus 7–13, there are very interesting parallels in Revelation 8–11; 15–16:
Trumpet plagues (Rev. 8–11)Plagues in Exodus 7–12Trumpet 1: 1/3 earthPlague 7: HailTrumpet 2: 1/3 sea (source of food)Plague 5: Livestock killedTrumpet 3: 1/3 rivers (drinking and irrigation)Plague 1: Blood in the NileTrumpet 4: 1/3 heavensPlague 9: DarknessTrumpet 5: Locust demon...