Being Delivered From Egypt, Pt. 1

Ronald Weinland

April 11, 2020

We are in a very unique Passover and Unleavened Bread period of this year. Everyone around the world kept it in their own homes, speaking of the Passover itself, and that was quite a unique experience in one respect. There were no group meetings. As some have already considered some of this, what I’m going to mention, indeed it can make one wonder if there have been any other Passovers where everyone has been told to stay in their home and observe it since that first Passover that was observed in Egypt.

So that’s kind of sobering to think about and to realize there may have been different people at different times that haven’t been able to take of the Passover for different reasons. That happens regularly. That’s why God has made it possible to have a second Passover, as I just announced a moment ago, about the second Passover. But for an entire group of people, for an entire Church to be told to take it in their homes, may be the first time, we really don’t know.

So again, those kinds of things are sobering. They are very personal to us when we think about some of that. So that’s made this Passover season, again, very unique, in that respect. Every year that the Passover falls on the same day of the week it is sobering, it’s a little more realistic, in one respect, it means a little more to us. So this week when the Passover fell it was the same time that it fell in the time of Christ. Again, when those things happen in that manner, again, it’s inspiring, it adds a little more to the meaning of some things.

I thought I’d take this opportunity, though I think most everyone has been connected one way or another, that on the YouTube today the first kind of ad video that we’re doing has gone up and it’s asking the question Did Christ Die On a Cross or Pole? That’s our first one out there. So for those who haven’t seen that yet or don’t know about it, although I think a large number of people have already found out because emails started going out immediately, I guess, text messages. But it’s the first one that is exciting, in one respect, to have out there. It was a little shorter than some might be, maybe a little longer than other in the future will be, but we’re going to start doing that because of drawing people to the book.

If you watch the video you’ll understand what I’m saying by the time you get to the end of the video. So these are going to be used in advertizing to draw people to the book, in that respect, to open up that particular door. It’s a unique process if you will of advertizing. It opens up something different than we’ve done in the past. But it certainly draws people’s attention to things that are unique in themselves and so we’ll see how this develops. But to me, it’s very exciting, very inspiring.

The next one I’m looking at doing has to do with three days and three nights. So again, these are being advertized and drawing people to the YouTube site. So anyone that wants to go to the Church site on YouTube, if you’re in that particular area you’ll be able to find this particular video if you don’t have a link to it already that someone maybe has texted you or told you about in an email or whatever.

So again here, unique time of the year, unique time to be able to have something like this put up. We may not have time for more, really don’t know—going to discuss some of that in the sermon today—but we always have to be prepared. We have to be ready. It’s something we have to be alert to, and so as far as the timing is concerned, always be ready. That’s the way we live our lives, but really a lot more so right now than in times past because of what’s taking place. So again, very, very sobering period of time we’re living in.

This year, again, there is another similarity then with the Passover and thinking about this particular season of the year and things that led up to the Passover, the first Passover service ever observed by anyone. And of course, that took place in Egypt a long, long time ago in their first observance. Those are the similarities, some of the things that took place before that Passover, of what led up to it and how God finally brought the children of Israel to a point where they were able to leave Egypt. Hence the title of the sermon today Being Delivered From Egypt.

Again, the similarity is in the purpose of all the events that led up to the Passover itself. There are things to be learned from that. God is doing things differently at the end of this age but working with the entire world, if you will, not just a particular nation. So, preparing a world, an entire world, all nations for a point in time when He’s going to send His Son and His Kingdom to rule this earth. That mankind will no longer reign over himself, rule over himself, but God will. That’s an incredible transition in time.

There are similarities in some of the things when you look at human nature, when you look at the response of nations and think about how people are, think about how they think in response to things they see going on around them and why God is doing the things He is in the manner that He is.

Again, we’re going to look at the similarities in some of this to the purpose of all events that led up to the children of Israel being delivered out of Egypt and that’s knowing the purpose of all the events, why God did it in the way that He did, the fashion that He did. It’s the purpose behind all this.

Today we’re going to begin looking here (I’ll just mention the verse here, you don’t need to turn there), but I want to, again, bring up a particular verse that we looked at earlier on in another sermon entitled Wisely Plan Ahead back on March the 7th. Again, if we look at some of these things it’s an incredible event that has led to the Church being in their homes this year. Unique. We don’t know how God’s going to do the things that He is. A powerful Thunder and God using that in a very powerful way to bring us to a point where we did the same as what the rest of the world and most nations are doing. They’re kind of locked down or in their homes primarily. That’s a unique thing, to see the world doing that. So again, lessons to be learned, things to be learned from some of this.

But to realize that there is a plague—that’s what it is—a pandemic, called a pandemic, and again, it’s resulted in nations closing their borders. Unheard of! Unprecedented! Nations closing their borders and issuing stay at home orders and costing the world many trillions, I mean many, many trillions of dollars in loss.

I think about airlines, about how that forty percent plus now they’re saying of all airplanes are grounded worldwide. It sounds like there is going to be even more than that at this point because there is just very little being done with them right now. Costing, again, costing them billions and billions of dollars.

So in that particular sermon there is a verse I want to read once again just to start this today, there back that we had, Wisely Planning Ahead or Wisely Plan Ahead back on March the 7th. It’s Isaiah 30:17. So you don’t have to turn there but it says, One thousand will flee at the rebuke, the threat, in other words, of one, in other words, one threat. Certainly these are prophetic things having to do with that which God is going to do in time toward the end of an age, the time we live in now. ...at the rebuke of five you will flee. In other words, the expression is “you will all flee.”

We live at a particular time when certain things are happening at different moments. We’re going to see more of this as we draw closer, but when there are more things all at once, happening at the same time, it’s going to shake people up a whole lot more than what it is already because we see something happening in the world that’s unique. People are thinking at least, stopping to think and pausing to think about what’s taking place, what’s behind all this, does this have any meaning to it, in the back of their mind. Or a lot of people, there’s just been a lot of fear involved with a lot of this because they don’t know, they don’t understand.

You start taking away jobs by the millions and people can’t work and that loss when people live so often from paycheck to paycheck, this is going to be incredibly devastating. There has never been anything like it in that regard because of a worldwide economy and how nations affect one another and the ways that they do and the trade. Then you look at local things within nations themselves and things that are breaking down very rapidly and how slow paced some of the aid because of all the bureaucracy, how long it takes for people to receive help, if they receive it. We live at a precarious time, in that respect.

One thousand will flee at the rebuke, in other words, from one threat, the threat of one, at the rebuke or the threat of five, when there are five different kinds of things taking place out here, threats going on at the same time. So, some of that is happening a little bit right now because it isn’t just a pandemic, it’s the spin-off of that, the economic factor, the things that are taking place in people’s lives as a result of that.

I mean, people talk about “getting it back to normal.” Well, what does that mean and when will that be and is God going to allow it? Because this is out of the hands of mankind. This is something beyond mankind and there are reasons why they’re happening in the manner that they are. God’s hand is definitely involved in these things. So again, it’ll be in God’s time and God’s way that these things transpire and take place.

It says here “at the rebuke of five,” in other words, the point being is that all, you all will flee. Until you are left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain as an ensign on a hill. In other words, until everyone can see it. See what? Well, see the purpose in what God is doing, until people begin to be so rattled, so shaken, so full of fear that they realize they don’t have the answers even though some will continue to try to push forward certain ideas and thoughts and so forth. But it’s going to be something that everyone is going to face in a very powerful way. That’s the point that God is making here in this particular verse.

But I just wanted to mention something here in some of this. Going back to some of the things that were spoken of when talking about wisely plan ahead, again, back in March the 7th. So we’re talking about a period of time a little over a month ago now and the question was brought up about thinking about things like the flu. That’s what’s unique about this. Yes, it’s a very contagious type of thing. It’s a type of thing that strikes in a horrible way, in the sense of people’s breathing, for those who have a bad case of this particular virus, that catch it.

But there is something different going on here as well and there is a fear coupled with this that is a little unprecedented; understandably so because it could be a whole lot worse. They really don’t know. But it could have been a whole lot worse if they hadn’t given the stay at home orders and the like, and that’s without question. So obviously, needs to be taken seriously.

But in the scheme of things when you look at this I want to bring it up again that the seasonal flu kills 291,000 to 646,000 – almost 650,000 people worldwide each year. It depends on how contagious it is, how catchy it is, different kinds of flus, different kinds of strains. And over time, people, the world, has built up immunities to a lot of those, but still it’s something that is devastating to a lot of people when it takes place. Again, talking about these different estimates back at that time and some of these new figures that were coming out of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention back in December 13th.

That was a particular report that came out because they brought up those figures and did better estimates than what had been done in the past showing that there are a lot more who catch it, who get the seasonal flu each year. So again here, not reading where this all came from, but I want to compare that a little bit with what’s happened so far with this virus.

Here it says 1.7 million people infected with the Covid-19 virus worldwide. So again, it’s a lot more at this point in time, in that sense of those who are infected compared to the figure of the flu. It is more contagious at this point because people’s bodies haven’t built up over a period of time. If time were to go on then there is going to be a bit of a build up as far as immunities to certain things. There can be different strains of some of these things come along, but the body is known to build up certain kinds of immunity. So again here, we aren’t at that point. This is relatively new for this particular type of virus.

Again, 1.7 million people affected worldwide. That’s now up to date. 380,000 have recovered. So that’s a nice figure, a good figure compared to the 1.7 million. Some of this is kind of hard to tell because of testing. Testing has been so bad it’s hard to tell how many people really have it and how many people have really recovered and how many people really never got sick from it in the first place really bad. Mild cases, there are a lot of mild cases, and people don’t even know what it is, that they have it. But 104,000, right at 104,000 people have died worldwide. So compare that.

I’m sorry, I think I misspoke here a minute ago but I was talking about the number killed in the world with flus, up to a maximum around 646,000, 650,000 people in a year. Well, 104,000 is still quite a ways behind that as far as the actual death toll. But if they hadn’t done some of the precautionary things that were done by most nations around the world it indeed could have been a whole lot worse, or could still be a whole lot worse as far as a year’s worth of this kind of thing taking place.

But my point in all of this: as bad as it is, this is still relatively small compared to other things. It wasn’t until recently that finally this death toll passed up that which is caused by heart disease and cancer and so forth from what I understand on some of the news reports. So it’s gotten to that point now. But again, think of all the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, if you will, even across the United States of people who in a bad season of flu up to around, you know, 60-70,000 people that can die from it. That’s horrifying. But there hasn’t been that kind of response to flus in a bad year.

So again here, there is something unique going on in the sense of how people are actually responding that kind of goes back to, if you will, what we just talked about in Isaiah. There is something going on where there is a purpose in why God allows things to happen in the way they do to stir people in a different way, to move people in a different way and to cause a kind of fear that is a little unprecedented, obviously.

So again here, that’s worldwide, talking about the number who have died in the U.S.; around a half a million cases right now, and 19,000 deaths compared to what they say, and the worst year that has been on record, around 69,000 people who have died of the flu in a particular year. So again, a lot and there could be a whole lot more, but again, it’s something unique. That’s what I’m trying to point out here. There is something unique going on in the thinking of people that’s unique and different in that respect.

Let’s turn over to Exodus 3. The unique impact that this current pandemic is having on nations around the world is quite unique, quite astounding in many ways. What is taking place now, it’s starting to result in massive food shortages, the ability for people to be able to get food, people being helped out because they’re not able to get food, they’re not able to afford food. Even in some of those locations of where people are seeking help to be fed, to feed their families, a lot of shortages that are taking place. It’s very difficult. It’s proving to be a challenging thing.

And then, of course, the crippling economic impact, a marked increase in fears (I’ve already mentioned), social unrest which is taking place, and it has much to do with the similarities that we’re going to talk about that took place in Egypt up to the very first Passover observance. So we’ll begin here, like I said, in Exodus 3.

The most important of any similarity is that of the purpose of all these events. That’s why we’re going through this today, to consider some of those things and why God’s going to address things in the manner that He is.

Again, this season of the year a good time to go through some of this talking about what took place. Exodus 3:13—And Moses said unto God, unto Elohim, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say to them, The Eternal of your fathers has sent me to you, and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say to them? So again here, Moses was wanting help. He didn’t know how to address this. This was new to him, “How do I go about this? What am I supposed to do?” He felt very ill-equipped, if you will.

Verse 14—And God, or is here the word “Elohim” said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM or I AM WHAT I AM. And He said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel... He went on to tell him what you’re to tell them: I AM has sent me to you. So again here, it’s unique in how it’s presented and what God is telling him. In other words, it’s kind of a kind of a statement of “Who are you to question... I AM WHO I AM.”

It goes on to say in verse 15, let’s notice, Moreover God said to Moses, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: The Eternal... Now, this is Yahweh, the Eternal, as it says, God or Elohim, that Yahweh Elohim of your fathers... So this is the message that he’s to give to the children of Israel: the God (or Elohim) of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations. As a result of those who have held on to certain ideas or beliefs about what has taken place there, especially the Jewish people, indeed known as Yahweh Elohim.

Then Exodus 6:1—Then the Eternal said to Moses, Now shall you see what I will do to Pharaoh. So there is already this process here of something that’s begun. God is sending Moses, going to send Moses before Pharaoh, and has the purpose of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. God’s purpose at the end of this age is to lead the entire world out of a spiritual Egypt and into a new age.

That’s an incredible thing, to live at a time like this when everything is going to be done in a different manner, and so God’s desire at the end of this age, there are going to be things done, God is going to do things with the world, with people, to humble mankind to bring in a new age. That is the similarity in the sense of God bringing out a people out of Egypt. So we understand the spiritual part of that, the spiritual aspect.

It doesn’t come easy and what happens at the end of the age is in many ways like unto the purpose (not in the same way) but different events taking place and a different process that God is using but all for the same purpose on a much greater plane than what happened to the children of Israel because now it’s coming time where God is going to take all peoples around the earth. His purpose is to take them out of spiritual Egypt, to lead them to Himself, to lead them to His Son, to His government that’s coming to this earth, and to the truth as it begins to be taught around the earth.

Exodus 6:1—Then the Eternal said to Moses, Now shall you see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand shall he let them go. So again, it’s because of God’s strong hand upon him, upon Pharaoh. That’s what’s being said here. Because God’s doing it and there is that point in time where, through whatever method, God is bringing certain things to pass.

We are already in that particular time where God is starting to bring things to pass. He’s been preparing a Church for a long time to do certain things, people to do certain things, people to be at a certain place by a certain time, and still working with a few remaining, 144,000. There are things that God is doing in all of this to bring everything to a specific point in time. It’s because of the strength and power, in essence, of God Almighty to do this.

...and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. Because of the hand upon Pharaoh it’s showing that He’s going to use a strong hand in driving out the children of Israel through Pharaoh. We know the story, we know what takes place, but it’s good to go through some of this right now. That’s why Pharaoh is going to respond in the way that he does to what God does.

In the midst of all this is human nature. That’s why it’s kind of an incredible thing to think that all the way up to the end there are going to be some who think that they can still win a war that’s going to destroy the earth. After everything is taken away that it is to that point in time when God begins to intervene there is still that distorted thinking. Even after Egypt had really been pretty well devastated—there wasn’t a lot left—except for Pharaoh and his army, in the sense of power that they had. Because as far as an economy, it was totally decimated and then their workers were gone, as a whole.

Now their workers were leaving and yet when you look behind because of what we’re going to read here, there just wasn’t much there. But there is a unique thinking in the minds of human beings that somehow they’re going to get it back, they’re going to rebuild, they’re going to do something.

That’s the most frustrating spirit and mind of everything involved in all this because it’s going to be with us through this entire process to the end because mankind doesn’t want God and mankind won’t listen to those answers as being the answers to what’s taking place and what’s happening just as much as Pharaoh didn’t.

So again here, we need to see those things in the sense of what we live in the midst of because this isn’t going to be an easy process. Whether it be quick here or whether it be a longer period of time, I don’t know. God just isn’t showing that for whatever reason. Perhaps because of things in a spirit world, a war, wars that have been going on for a long time.

I’ve often thought about some of these things. Why? We understand there is a preparation of 144,000 that must be complete, but with that there is a whole lot more taking place because there’s preparing the preparation of nations and peoples to come out of those things and preparing nations and peoples for what’s going to take place, as we’ll even bring out here as we go along here, of what’s taking place now and has been for some time now, it’s just getting stronger and stronger.

So again here, we can see these similarities and we’re to learn from these similarities. So God spoke to Moses (verse 2) and said to him, I am the Eternal. I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of El Shaddai, God Almighty. So, incredible! That’s what I love about a progressive revelation that we have learned.

God has shown us in a very powerful way in the last decade or so here, that there is a progressive revelation of His truth to the world and to His people. And if you look at the people who have lived over 6,000 years, it becomes very evident, it becomes very clear. It’s just a marvel to think of things that they had in the beginning up to the time of Noah and a flood, and then finally of Abraham and then additional things that God began to reveal through Abraham. Then Moses, more things began to be revealed that they didn’t know about.

Just like Passover. They didn’t know about a Passover. There are some in times past who have felt that they knew about all the holy days. No, they did not. They weren’t observing them. Some have the thinking that they had to be if they’re God’s people. No, they didn’t have to be because we’re judged by what God gives to us and God knows how to judge human life, the mind by what He gives to them. Most of it goes back to how you live your life in regard to God, how you think about God, how you think about how you’re supposed to live toward fellow man and the like. Those are really the main things that we’ve been judged through, through time.

Now, just because God comes along and gives more? That’s why some people have had a difficult time. I think of Pentecost being on the wrong day. There are people who just flipped out. There are people who went bonkers. Some because Mr. Armstrong didn’t change it fast enough and others because he would dare to change it because “You can’t change something. It can’t be done or you’re not an apostle!” You know, “God doesn’t change. He’s the same today, yesterday, and forever.” These kinds of goofy things that went on out there because of a lack of maturity and a lack of understanding in people, and because those people who had those problems weren’t really living what they should be living. They were doing other things. They were cutting themselves off from the flow of God’s spirit. Because those who had the flow of God’s spirit and had a desire to continue to draw close to Him, they could see these things as Mr. Armstrong addressed them. It wasn’t a problem.

It’s a progressive revelation. Christ came along after 4,000 years and revealed a whole lot more that was never known before, and especially after the Church began. Because even as he was teaching those things, the disciples didn’t have the foggiest idea in many cases what he was talking about. They couldn’t see it because it’s spiritual. Then all of a sudden on the day of Pentecost and from that time forward the things that Christ had taught them fit into place, Progressive revelation, and the things then that they wrote that were revealed through them. Awesome! And so it’s been with us.

This is a good example. All that time up to this time of Moses God wasn’t known by Yahweh Elohim. He was known as El Shaddai. He said, but by My name Yahweh I was not known to them. Incredible! His name Yahweh, the Eternal Self-existing God wasn’t known to them. Again, another progressive revelation. And now this was inspiring, this is exciting to realize that God is having a more personal relationship than He had in times past. Now He’s going to begin to work, yes, through Moses and a few others there in a unique manner as far as a future government is concerned and being given of His holy spirit. But as far as a nation, this is new, this is different, this is unique, and so He’s giving a lot more.

Then it goes on in verse 4—I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage.

So again here, He’s bringing up that this is the time. It’s not that He hasn’t known about this. He’s known it all along. He’s observed what they’ve been going through in slavery, but He has a purpose for the time that they’re there. He has a purpose to work out and now we’re at that point. Just like we’re at a point now at the end of an age. Now there’s a purpose and God’s bringing certain things to pass just as He did here.

I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage and I have remembered My covenant. It’s not like He forgot it. This isn’t how to read this. This is not what it’s talking about. It’s like saying, “I’m now remembering,” in other words, “bringing to remembrance My covenant because this is the time. This is the time it’s all for. This is what it’s been geared toward so now this is the time that this needs to be brought forward and revealed to you, Moses, and to the children of Israel, that it’s time to come out of Egypt,” and why, as they go through the wilderness and so forth, “that it’s a matter of fulfilling the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” of taking them into this promised land, to a land that He was going to give them in the land of Canaan.

He says, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore, say unto the children of Israel, I am Yahweh; I am the Eternal, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. It’s very inspiring.

And yet this was difficult. This wasn’t easy because it was like, “Why are they going to listen to me? What’s going to make them want to listen?” We learn from that process through time. We see what’s happened since the time of Moses and all the prophets that have come along and people don’t listen and they’re rejected. Those things just happen.

We see what’s happened with the Church, that people can’t hear. God revealed that, that unless someone is being drawn by His spirit they’re not able to hear, they’re not able to grasp what’s being said until it’s God’s time to help them to begin to see. God has to do that.

There are things going on right now that are going to begin leading people to that point. This is a very powerful one that’s taking place right now, but it’s not a simple process. How long? Well, we don’t know and therein are the questions that we have in our own mind. I’m still looking at, still have a desire that first marker up there. But I see another set of flags in the background there and wonder, well, which one is it? Is it here or is it farther up? Because we don’t know. But we’re determined that if this isn’t it, I get there and I want to keep going. That’s in the mind, so that’s the way we have to be.

So we get down around forty days here and that’s it. You know, if it isn’t starting then we’ve got more time. That’s just the way it is because there is a certain amount of time it takes to accomplish certain things, and if we’re not down within that period of time, I’m looking at those markers past that and hoping that there is something, a marker that I can’t see because there are some trees that are in my way and that maybe we get up here a little bit farther and maybe it’s a year and maybe... God will reveal it. I don’t know. We don’t know. So we can always have a hope in that, that things are sooner, but it’s going to be in God’s time because there’s a great purpose being worked.

This is the most awesome thing in the history of mankind. It has been meant to be the most awesome thing of all time, and it has to go according to God’s planning, molding, and fashioning in what He’s doing. We have the blessing of being a great part of that. We may have a hope and desire for certain things, but again, we move forward. That’s the way it’s always been and that’s the way it’ll continue to be.

He says, I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Well, that’s what God’s going to do in the world. This world is in slavery and it doesn’t know it. It’s captive to its own human nature. And to think that God is going to open up the whole world to His holy spirit, to have the ability to be drawn to the Church, to have the ability to be impregnated with His spirit, to be baptized, the whole world is going to be offered that soon. To think that God is preparing the world for that? To take them totally out of Egypt, to offer that? No, not everybody is going to accept it. But as a whole this world is going to accept so much of that, obviously, after it goes through what’s starting right now, what’s taking place right now. This is just a beginning.

I will rid you of their bondage. That’s what God’s going to do through the Millennium, to seek to rid mankind of his bondage. At least the choices are there at this point in time throughout the Millennium and in the Great White Throne.

...and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgments. God’s desire is to redeem mankind, to bring mankind to the Passover, if you will. That’s what this is about, bringing mankind to the Passover so they can begin their journey out of sin. He says He’s going to do it with great judgments. Well, when you’re talking about the world He’s going to do that at this time that we’re looking at in Egypt, but if you think about the world there are going to be great judgments in the sense of Thunders, in the sense of Trumpets that take place and that just gets more powerful and more powerful as we go forward in order to humble this earth in a way that it’s never been humbled.

Except for one time when people died. But they didn’t have a chance to continue on, in that respect, in the sense of humbling themselves and receiving what God had. That time comes later. We understand that.

This is incredibly unique for vast numbers of people on the earth. So that’s what it’s talking about, I will redeem you with a stretched out arm. God’s desire is to save, to love, to give His love to mankind. Mankind won’t receive it so there have to be great judgments that take place to humble people. It’s incredible the human nature we have as human beings when you talk about the world, when you think about all the religions out there and the resistance that’s going to be there to what’s true. It’s bad enough in the world of traditional Christianity.

Just like the new video there, Did Christ Die On a Cross or Pole? This doesn’t make friends, as a whole. It’s something that most don’t even want to think about and they don’t want to address it, the simplicity of what’s being shown there, of why legs were broken and the purpose of it, so that people would suffocate quickly, so they couldn’t breathe. And yet people don’t want to look at that. They’ll fight against that and have all kind of reasonings and debate of why that’s not the case. God’s just going to take them through more and more.

Verse 7 it says, I will take you to Myself for a people. Well, God’s getting ready to do that on a far more massive scale. Not just a physical nation of people as far as Israel is concerned but now an entire population of the earth with all mankind to have such opportunity. That’s what He’s getting ready to do. “I am going to take you to Myself as a people.” The vast majority of people on the earth have the opportunity to receive God’s holy spirit. It’s an awesome time.

...and I will be to you a God. You shall know that I am the Eternal your God. So again, slowly but surely as things happen and fear grows to where there’s more than one great event, more than two events, more than three, several events happening at the same time that so shake people, to get people to a point that they know something is going on. What is it?

There are going to be all kinds of ideas out here of what’s taking place and different religious people are going to be talking about what they think the answer is and God is going to diminish all of them to show them you don’t have the answers, and yet there is someplace where there are answers and that will begin at some point to come out, that yeah, this has been right all along.

For I am the Eternal your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. To think what people are going to go through as they’re experiencing certain things on this earth and then finally when God reveals Christ and 144,000 coming with him it’s undeniable. You can’t deny that life when it’s in front of you all around the earth. Now people can’t deny it any longer. The truth is standing right there before them – the truth, the power, beings who can’t be destroyed. Astounding what people are going to learn very quickly, very fast.

Verse 8—I will bring you into the land concerning that which I did promise to give to Abraham. So what was promised to Abraham wasn’t just the land of Canaan. That was a beginning. It was a “type.” The promised land is something about an inheritance that’s far, far greater than just a temporary location of people, a particular nation of people. It pictures something in the future, where we are now and the Millennium and the Great White Throne and what lies beyond, because that which is promised is on a spiritual plane for spiritual Israel- the God Family, Elohim. To when it’s all said and done that’s what remains, Elohim.

I am the one, the Eternal your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land concerning that which I did promise to give to Abraham. God’s doing it. It’s what God is going to accomplish. There is no one, no one that can say, “Look at what I did.” “Look at what we did.” That’s why God is doing the things. That’s why we’re a remnant. That’s why we’re not a large group of people, that there not be that haughtiness and pride as what was happening in Worldwide and on into Laodicea.

...concerning that which I did give, a promise to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give to you for a possession, speaking of that which is going to come to pass. I am the Eternal.

Exodus 7:1—Then the Eternal said to Moses: Look, I will make you like God to Pharaoh. “I’m going to make you like Elohim, like Me to Pharaoh.” That’s what He’s telling him. “I’m going to make you like God to Pharaoh,” because Pharaoh is not going to see God, but he’s going to see Moses who is there giving those things representing the Great God of the universe by what he’s saying, by what he’s telling him. He says, “I’m going to make you like Elohim to him,” and He goes on to explain some of this: and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet, your spokesman.

So, here it is, it’s a “type,” it’s something being given here that’s powerful, that’s mighty, showing here that just like going to be like Elohim, in other words to Pharaoh, and Aaron is going to be like a prophet, like your spokesman.

You shall speak all that I give you charge. And Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh that he may send the children of Israel out of this land, out of this land, his land, Pharaoh’s land.

So again here, incredible story, great meaning all the way through it, inspiring to see what God did and how He did it with them at that particular time.

Then He says, And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart. There is a lot to learn here when people begin to understand what that means, how God works. There’s really a lot revealed here that takes time for people to really grasp and comprehend what God is saying. Because even within Worldwide there were times, especially with people as they had to grow and come to grasp and understand what’s being said, it was like God made him this way, God made his heart harden.

God didn’t force him in his decisions. God didn’t force him to be the way he was, but by the things that happened around him it brought out certain traits that are just natural with human nature about how someone might respond to a matter. Which is just typical. It’s just the way human nature is. We’ll discuss more of that as we go along.

But He says, I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and will multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. God says there are going to be things that are going to glorify Him, in essence. “I’m going to magnify My signs and what I do.” What takes place at the end here is very much like that. There are going to be things that are powerful in the sense of what happens on this earth that are from God, that God has orchestrated, that God has brought together.

But Pharaoh will not listen to you. That’s what we’re going to see. Even now. There are a few that wonder, “Is this something happening now?” But yet people get into a certain flow and after a while being at home all the time, “It isn’t all that bad,” and “We can do this,” and “We can get back into it.” And yet if it doesn’t touch you directly in the sense of your finances, in the sense of your losing a job, then you kind of slough some things off. But others aren’t going to be able to slough some things off. They’re going to go through some difficult times just from that vantage point alone.

It’s going to be a mixed bag as to how people are affected, as to what brings people to humility. And so it is here. But in the beginning, vast numbers, especially those in leadership, whether it be in corporate leadership or whether it be in government leadership, it’s going to be this thing of holding on to power. It’s going to be this thing of what’s going to happen in their hearts, that if something doesn’t work out the way they do it they’re still going to work this out, “We’re still going to accomplish this because we’re great!” This is how people are all over the world, “We can do this and we can make it through.” It’s going to be difficult.

And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart. So we already see that process taking place where people are thinking that they’re going to be able to work through this. It hasn’t slowed anything down, in that sense, as far as the attitude and the mind of man is concerned.

...and I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not listen to you. That’s going to be what happens. First of all here, primarily, is that if something else doesn’t come soon it’s going to be swiped away like, “Ah, see, we did it. We came through it.”

We don’t know how God is going to work this out. I hope there isn’t that kind of timing left there. You know, it doesn’t tell us how quickly some of these events, between some of these events took place in Egypt. It appears as though they took place fairly rapidly over time. Not necessarily every day or every other day, every week, but still there is that which is a matter of a response here, a matter of certain things that took place. God can cause things to happen quickly in the sense of people being humbled, in the sense of a nation being like what happened to Egypt – basically destroyed in power and might and commerce.

So whether we’re in a phase like that as far as the world is concerned, we don’t know. Definitely the economy of the world is taking a beating. So is something else going to happen to magnify that even more? That’s where we are. We don’t know. Hopefully there is not that kind of time. But if there is, we’re going to go through it with the rest of the world around us.

It says, but Pharaoh will not listen to you. So as a whole that’s going to be the struggle until it comes right down to the time of Christ’s coming. That’s just the way it’s going to be.

There will be larger numbers, obviously, as it gets down to that point, who will be listening, especially when they go through an incredible horrifying world war that’s so incredibly devastating that people are just in shock. They’re not just in fear, they’re in shock.

...so that I may lay My hand upon Egypt and bring forth My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. Again, it’s this matter of these judgments. There is going to be one after the other. That’s the only way people can learn. If there is a long period of time in there people get accustomed to certain thing. But if one thing happens after another, if those begin to be multiplied and there is time to have that take place to where one just magnifies the hardship of the other then that’s good in the sense of human nature, in the sense of change that can be brought about, humility that can come about.

Verse 5—And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Eternal... So this is something that people came to see in time. You know, all the way up to the time that Pharaoh went up to the Red Sea, and his army with him, all that power, and then God destroyed it. There was nothing left. The nation was devastated. So here the leader of the nation is gone, of Egypt is gone, and the massiveness of the military, the power that they had, it’s gone. Incredible times back then.

And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Eternal. The things that people saw, they learned that name, they learned who He was. Matter of fact, other nations round about, they heard about the God of the Israelites.

He says, when I stretched forth My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them. Then Moses and Aaron did as the Eternal charged them; and so they did.

So again, during this period of the days of Unleavened Bread we’re going through these examples here. Inspiring to see what God did, being reminded of those things. I couldn’t help but think about it the other night watching myself do the Passover last year, the service that’s pre-recorded so that people can have a Passover service, and now that particular service being with the name Joshua. That was the first Passover we had last year where we had that opportunity to do so.

Listening to those things, going through it and realizing as a whole the Passover doesn’t change year after year, but God commands us to have it. We have those scriptures that are a part of something that tell the picture. I couldn’t help but think in my mind, in my heart, “I hope and pray that people don’t get tired of ever hearing this.” Because there is a reason why we as human beings need to hear it year by year by year, to go through the process of thinking about those things.

Just as much as we go through different things; I don’t always have to go through these particular matters of what took place and God leading the children of Israel out of Egypt because there is so much to discuss during the days of Unleavened Bread. Just as we heard in the first sermon and as you will hear in the last sermon on the last day that Wayne’s going to give, the last sermon that’s been pre-recorded. Matter of fact, it’s about a year ago in April he gave that. I believe it was in New Zealand when he pre-recorded that. It’s been there for quite a while but because of the subject matter decided that hey, we’re going to save it for the Feast of Unleavened Bread period.

Again, we have to check ourselves because if we ever get to a point where we are tired of hearing, that is an exceedingly dangerous state to be in. I just couldn’t help but think about that on Passover night because, and especially thinking about some of the things that we went through. John 14, that to me, they’re not just some of, they are the most exciting things that God ever revealed to mankind, that God and His Son can dwell in us on a continuing basis, that He is coming into our flesh, into our lives.

The reason being is that just hasn’t been known to people. It wasn’t known to Philadelphia, it wasn’t known to Laodicea, that this is what these things are all about and those scriptures in John and then in 1 John later on. But God’s given them to us at the very end of an age to be able to see, to be moved and motivated by, inspired by. I can’t help it when I got through there - they should always be exciting to us to realize how blessed we are to have such a treasure of insight and understanding, and yet knowing human nature, that human nature in time can become dulled. What should be in our hearts and our minds is to realize we have opportunity in the future not only to know these things but to pass them along to others, to help others come up to that point of understanding and then to build upon it.

I look forward to those times, year after year if need be, whatever it is that given opportunity to do, to be able to share those things with people, to expound upon them. To me, that’s exciting.

Verse 8—Then the Eternal spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, Show a miracle for yourselves, then you shall say to Aaron, Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent. These things to me are interesting as you go through this, so much that’s given in some of this – human reaction, the way the human mind thinks, even God knowing exactly how Pharaoh is going to respond. Moses is told this.

This is something important to understand as we go through this. God didn’t make Pharaoh this way. This is something that God knew about Pharaoh and knows how to mold and fashion circumstances and things around someone when it’s needed that this is exactly what takes place. So awesome to learn this, to understand these things about the power of God Almighty.

He’s telling him when it comes time tell Aaron, Aaron is supposed to throw down this rod and it’ll become a serpent, a snake. So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Eternal charged them. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Here is Pharaoh, he sees something; this is the miracle, if you will, that Pharaoh was asking for in that sense, “Show. Give proof. Show something miraculous. Give me a sign. Help me to see something here so that I can know you are who you say you are.” Because this is, basically, what was taking place.

But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt. In this particular case here, knowing how they were, knowing how the human mind is, there is something they have to do, something they know. “Well, we can duplicate this.” It’s chicanery. It’s not true. They were serpents that they took, but how they made them look like a stick, you know, we don’t know, but that’s what they did, basically. They didn’t perform anything magical whatsoever (or the way they try to bring it across). So this is what the story is.

It says, They also came in like manner with their enchantments. For every man threw down his rod and they became serpents. So they had time to get ready to do whatever they needed to do because he called on them, “Look this is what they did. Now, you do the same thing. Can you do the same thing?” And so they did, supposedly.

But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. In other words, all these other snakes that were out there, then the one that Moses had, the one that Aaron cast to the ground, it goes about and gets the rest.

I’ve enjoyed how Johnny has talked about this in times past about getting a hold of the snake because you’ve got to hold this thing, you’ve got to pick it back up again and it turns back into a rod. Not an easy thing to do, especially knowing that this is most assuredly a poisonous thing. It’s not just a snake, a tame snake. Don’t know what kind it was, perhaps to look like a cobra, whatever it might have been. But again, not a pleasant thing to see or to handle, if you will, and if you’re squeamish about some of those kinds of things not something you really want to do. But they did it.

It says, And Pharaoh’s heart became hardened. Because for him that’s all he needed. “Ah, you used chicanery. You did something here too. My magicians can do it. You know, it’s not a big thing.”

What does it mean his heart became hardened? Well, it’s just that he’s going to hold on to his way against what Moses was saying. His hatred toward Moses, his hatred toward what he was saying was very strong and it just became stronger. It’s like, “You’re not special. You don’t have anything that’s special.” People try to explain away things that are happening.

Just like things that are going to continue to happen around us that get worse and worse. There are going to be people who are going to try to explain them away as being something different, that this isn’t the end-time and reasons why it isn’t the end-time. But people are going to be drawn to that more and more wondering, “Is this the end-time? Is this it?”

And Pharaoh’s heart became hardened and he did not listen to them, as the Eternal had said. God knew exactly what Pharaoh was going to do. He knew exactly how he would respond. He knew exactly what he was going to say to Moses. That’s an awesome thing to understand.

Exodus 8:1—The Eternal spoke to Moses, Go to Pharaoh and say to him, Thus says the Eternal: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Now it’s not just a matter of telling a few things to Pharaoh. It’s going on and telling a lot more here. And can you imagine being in that position to go and say something like that to Pharaoh, the Pharaoh of all of Egypt and the power that he had and not knowing how he’s going to respond to you? Is God going to protect you? Is God going to keep you from having your head lopped off or worse or whatever it might be?

He says, “Go and tell him ‘Let My people go that they may serve Me.’” And if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will strike all your borders with frogs. That took a lot just to do it. I can’t imagine. You know, we think, “Well it’s not that hard,” and, you know, “It’s easy.” No, it isn’t. That wouldn’t have been easy because there is that matter of that power, there is a matter of not knowing the total response. It’s kind of like some of the things, in the sense of what we realize is coming, they are fearful things, but not to be afraid of them.

Yes, they’re fearful. I mean, we’d be nuts if we didn’t have a little bit of fear about living through a nuclear war. We would have a little bit of fear knowing what’s going to happen with people. That helps a person to be wise, to know for human beings this is a fearful thing. But we don’t have to be afraid. We can fight against that fear by understanding that God puts a dome around us, God puts a hedge about us, God protects us. He is our high tower. He is our power, our strength, a refuge, and relying upon that because that’s the only answer anyway. I mean, what else is there?

So, knowing God is powerful, almighty, true, what we’ve lived through, what we’ve been prepared for through time, we’re going to be able to go through this. God’s going to protect us as much as what He did the Israelites in things that are brought out in some of these plagues.

But here he goes to them and tells them, “Let My people go. Let God’s people go or there are going to be frogs come upon your borders in a horrifying way.” Well, that didn’t maybe sound too scary to Pharaoh. He says, “If you refuse then that’s what’s going to happen.”

They’ll go up into your house, they’ll go up into your bedrooms, upon your bed of your house... So he’s showing the extent of this. This isn’t going to be a small thing. They’re going to be everywhere. They’re going to come in your bed. They’re going to be in your bedroom and on your bed, and upon your people, and in your ovens, wherever you’re trying to cook. There are frogs going to be everywhere! ...and in your kneading troughs. In everything you try to do frogs, frogs, frogs!

Now, it’s hard to grasp this, what really took place. Especially when they started dying, or when they were killed off, because that had to be horrifying thing. What a mess to clean up, all these dead frogs, and starting to decay and the bodies, because that happened. So the clean up after that was all done? But just the fact that they’re there and they’re everywhere? Unnerving.

And the frogs shall come up both on you, and upon your people, and upon all your servants. This was something that Israel was going to live through as well. So they’re going to be everywhere. Everyone is going to have to contend with these. That was good for the Israelites to experience this as well so they could begin to realize this isn’t normal, what’s going on, and whatever Moses is saying, something is going on. He can’t do this. There has to be a God. What he’s saying, there has to be truth in what he’s saying.

It’s starting to change their thinking. That’s the purpose of some of this, and to hopefully then give them a little encouragement or a glimmer of hope that maybe what he’s saying is true, maybe we are going to be able to leave Egypt.

Now, they went back and forth in things that took place, but again, this is a carnal mind without God’s spirit. Thankfully, we have God’s spirit so that we can grasp what we’ve been taught for a long time in preparing for God’s kingdom, of what’s going to happen at the end of this age. Now those things have started. They. Have. Started. Where God is beginning to directly intervene in what’s happening in the world.

This isn’t just some fluke that just happened to come out of China, okay? There are reasons why this was the time and this was the instrument of how it should happen. That has a lot more ramifications. I hope we understand that – why China, why trade, why, why, why. Because it’s changing the mentality of people and nations around the world to harden people in what they’re determined to accomplish and do.

I’m going to read an article here in a little bit, a news article, to me that’s exceedingly sobering because there’s a reason why this information is being put out there. It’s not a small thing. It’s not just a fluke. It’s not by chance. It’s not by coincidence. There are reasons why some of this information is out there.

Anyway, going on: And the Eternal spoke to Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt. So again, these had their purpose. Just like the Thunders, and like has been said, different Thunders at different times; sometimes different Thunders altogether. There are several different Thunders taking place right now, being fulfilled because of what’s taking place. That’s just going to become stronger and stronger all the way to the end here until finally when God’s Kingdom begins to come to this earth.

All these things taking place. There was a purpose in why these things were being done in the way they were then. There are reasons why those things must take place at the end here in the manner that God’s going to do them because God is the one that has to do these things. Human beings can’t. God’s doing it. The things that take place in creating doubt and worry and wonder, you know, “What’s happening?” to begin to stir that up in the minds of human beings. That’s what God is going to be doing now. “What’s going on?” And for some who maybe have learned about some of these things or heard about some of these things, “Maybe this is it; maybe what some of them said is true. They’ve been preparing some of these things for a long time. They’ve been talking about it. They’re not so nuts after all,” you know.

Verse 6—And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. That means, as well, where the Israelites were.

So there are things we learn here. There are things we’re going to go through together with the world. Just like right now and being in our homes. Just like right now, you know, social distancing and all the precautions that are just smart to do, wise to do. We’re learning to do them.

And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. Well, a little bit of chicanery again and they weren’t able to just bring them up, you know. There are things that they did to make it look like this is what they were accomplishing.

There are going to always be those, in that sense, who seek in any way they can to say that it’s a normal manner. That’s what this is like, “Well, this is normal. This is not just something that they were doing. It’s a normal phenomenon. It’s a normal thing that takes place and nothing to be concerned with. This is just normal,” especially when it has to do with God or someone saying this is of God.

Verse 8—Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, Implore the Eternal that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go so that they may sacrifice unto the Eternal. So Pharaoh, unique in mind, unique in what he’d been prepared for and in a great nation like he was at that particular time as far as nations of the earth were concerned. People get lifted up with haughtiness and think of themselves in mighty ways, powerful ways, and he wasn’t able to shake this even now when it came to thinking that this may be from a God. They had different ideas about gods. Nothing about God in the sense of really understanding what Moses was understanding or seeing.

Verse 15—But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, just as the Eternal had said. God knew his nature. He knew exactly how he was going to respond. Just like we know how so much of this world is going to be responding and how hard it’s going to be. That’s why it’s going to take one thing after another. The impact has to be so great because there is no other way to humble people. We understand we’re going to share a lot with the world around us in the sense of things that aren’t going to be convenient or easy, and things are going to be difficult.

Already some of that economic impact starting to hit different ones out here in the Church because we’re in the midst of all this. It’s going to be a hardship. It’s going to be a battle. It’s not something easy.

Verse 16—And the Eternal said to Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the land that it may become lice throughout the land of Egypt. Again, another thing taking place. Again, not a pleasant thing for people to live through. Not easy for the Israelites to live through. So they lived in the midst of some of these things and some of the suffering right along with those around them and the rest of Egypt.

Again, there are things that can benefit us. There are things that we can go through to be sobered by and to realize our part and to put ourselves in a right frame of mind, to be in a right frame of mind and thinking, to be thankful toward God that we understand why these things are happening. Others around us don’t, but we know and we know that we have God’s favor and help and that we will get through this phase and there will be something else come along. But as a whole, as we go through these things God is with us. We have the truth. We know what’s coming. We don’t know exactly how soon. We hope it’s soon. But if we have to go through a period of time so be it, whatever God has planned.

Verse 19—Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. “We can’t do anything to match this. There is nothing we can do to imitate this,” if you will in their own minds. They told Pharaoh, “We can’t do anything now. This is a finger of God. There is a God doing this.” And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. It’s not what he wanted to hear. Not what he wanted to consider.

There are going to be people and people’s minds who are so filled with pride that this is the last thing that they’re going to want to acknowledge. This wasn’t toward just a matter of something toward Moses and Aaron, this is toward God and their thinking, that they’re going to resist this; they’re going to fight this. “There has got to be something else going on, something else we can do to get through this and we’re not going to cave into it.” “I am Pharaoh,” whatever, whoever people think they are. “We have this.” “We have that.” “We have accomplished this and we’ve gone through WWI and WWII. We’ve gone through these different things and this is what we’ve done and we’ll do it again!” And so just become hardened in heart because of resistance. The more people resist God something happens inside in their thinking that isn’t good.

Then what followed afterward was the massive swarms of flies. Lice, frogs, some of these things that you think about, frogs, dead frogs, maggots, flies. This was spreading so fast it’s horrifying. Some of these things just a natural result of one thing taking place.

Just like now, of what we’re going through because of what’s happening with a pandemic and people’s response to it and thinking about it and so forth and then one thing spins off on another. We’re going to look at that in a moment because this is unique. This is what I find a marvel in some ways, is that some of the things we’re going through its rippling through other areas. It’s not like what happened back then where there was one specific kind of plague and then another specific kind of plague. In a sense this is more to do with, well, many of the Thunders fitting together, on things leading into another area. If you go through and look at some of the Thunders one thing affects another, one thing causes another and then these things just build up. They’re happening more and more, the things that are going to transpire, the things that are going to come to pass. It just becomes stronger and stronger.

That’s how God is working with something like this. What an incredible thing that it’s happening in this manner.

So after this, after the flies, then God began to make a difference between the Israelites and the Egyptians. So they lived through the lice, they lived through the frogs, they lived through the flies here, as I said, the frogs, the lice, and now God was going to make a difference in the land of Goshen where the Israelites were and the rest of Egypt.

So this is a particular story we come through when there was a severe pestilence that was cast upon the livestock, as it states, upon horses, donkeys, camels, oxen, sheep, and cattle. What does that do? Well, food shortage, milk, meat, transportation. Because that’s what these things are about. It’s about transportation. It’s about the means of accomplishing much work.

We’re experiencing this type of thing on a different plane in this country and around the world. A strong economic hit – unprecedented. And how people think they’re going to get out of this and just keep putting more money out there? There comes a time when you can’t play those games and it comes back and smacks you. It’s like there is no reality that’s taking place right now.

It’s like everybody’s game, willing to participate in a falsehood, in a lie, that yes, this is okay and we can have this helicopter money and we can do these other kinds of things. Let’s get another two million in there, $2 trillion in there. Other nations are doing the same thing. Where is it coming from? Is it gold? What is it? What is it that backs it up? What do you have as proof? Other paper? Some little things in a computer that says something? You can’t take that to the bank. Of course, the bank may accept it but it’s insanity. It’s real insanity. And yet there is this really distorted thinking out here with reality.

Some of this here that was taking place at this particular time. Incredible when we think of some of this and what was taking place at that time because we’re really at that stage right now in some of this with what started with a pandemic. We are here at this point.

It says in verse 4—So the Eternal will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel. Now, this is important at this point to learn. There is certain suffering that goes along that we’re going to experience, but God’s there to take care of us. God will bring us through. God will give us what we need so that we can keep moving forward. We don’t have to get to a point of depression, to become depressed over certain things.

There is a way through and God will help us. God will help everyone out here who keeps their eyes upon Him, to bring them through. That’s just the way God’s going to work with His people. It’s a reality. It’s a truth. Other things out here are not a truth. They are built upon paper. They’re built upon that which is flimsy that can never last nor survive, and when the time comes it’s going to go up in flames. It can’t continue. But God, what He gives to us, He’s going to continue and He’s going to continue with us.

We should take encouragement from an example like this and to realize we may not know exactly how at this point but individually in our own lives you don’t have to panic, you don’t have to be overly concerned. Do what you can. Do the best you can and put effort into it, but know that God is the one to bring you through and He will do so.

I’m going to stop there and read some articles. I think this is a good point just to read some of the news articles again that show things that are taking place and to think about this thing. Because to me, when I read this, I thought, now, that’s incredible! Because when you’re talking about striking—when it talks about the livestock of the land—because it goes into detail and it talks about what this included, it makes it very clear here that it included the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the oxen, you know that you do work with, you till the fields, they plow up the fields to plant things, the sheep, the cattle, the food supply.

I think of things that are happening right now already when these things are being interrupted and the flow of goods, of merchandise, whether it be of fruit, of vegetables, of milk, of eggs, of meat, some places, packing places closing down because different workers have the virus. Different places have talked about and they have, some have closed down. This begins to affect more and more the flow of goods. What people are accustomed to isn’t the same right now and that’s just going to get worse and worse.

Now, we don’t know how this is going to pan out. Maybe they lift everything and all of a sudden it comes back worse than before. We don’t know. But you have to be prepared because this can make all these other Thunders that are associated with this pandemic be a whole lot worse. Maybe it mutates? We don’t know. Maybe something new will come? We really don’t know at this point because God hasn’t shown us and because God can do it ever how He desires to do it. We need to be sobered by that.

Here is the one I had mentioned earlier: “Hit by virus, Pentagon warns enemies: Don’t test us.”[1] Now, this headline has been out there at different times but I want to read this.

“With an aircraft carrier forced into port and staff at bases handling nuclear missiles hit by COVID-19, the US military wants rivals to understand: don't test us, we have not been weakened.”

Why put these messages out there right now? This is through the Associated Press. Maybe it wasn’t the Associated Press, the AFP, anyway, it’s in the news. I’ve seen it at different times and different sources. But this one here, again, what an incredible thing here to think that this is being said out there. It’s been said at different ways at different times here and yet there is the word that comes in another ship has problems, another ship is being grounded, so this just seems to be accumulating more and more and a desperate attempt here to keep things hush-hush because “what if?” That’s the age we live in. And candidly, at some point the “what if” is going to happen.

It’s easier to see now how some of these things can come to pass, how some of these things are going to be accomplished, how they’re going to be fulfilled. But word like this is for a reason. What are the reasons? That doesn’t mean that we are to be paranoid about certain things and get out here with all kinds of ideas and so forth, but generally there are reasons why certain statements like this are made.

So it goes on to say, “Statement after statement from the Pentagon has sought to deliver that message amid questions this week over whether the US fighting force can maintain full readiness, with cases among service members now at 2,031.” Whether that be the actual case or not we don’t know. But that’s what they’re saying at this point and tend to be open about a lot of things except some things that come down to the military.

So a statement was made, “We’re still capable and we’re still ready no matter what the threat.” So there is a reason why they feel that they need to push this out there. What is that? Well, there are nations that say things. There are nations that plan things. There are nations that they can see are doing things. The reality is there may be things out there that are going to come to pass that they’ve already heard rumblings of and so they’re just warning. It’s not just a matter of Iran. It can be others involved here. It doesn’t just have to be North Korea. It can be China in a very powerful way. A lot of things that we don’t know until after they’ve happened, sometimes until long after they’ve happened. But anyway.

“We’re still capable and we’re still ready no matter what the threat… I wouldn’t want any mixed messages going out there to any adversaries that they can take advantage of an opportunity, if you will, at a time of crisis…That would be a terrible and tragic mistake if they thought that.”

Then it goes on, there is a comment here, “– 150 bases affected –” You think, incredible what’s taking place! Can this get a whole lot worse at some point? Can something else come along?

Goes on to say: “Unlike rivals Russia, China, and Iran, the US Defense Department has tried to be transparent about the outbreak, publishing daily totals of infections among its troops, civilian workers, and families. Including civilian staff, military family members, and contractors, total Department of Defense infections were at 3,366 on Friday, with one death.” So again, there are things that can totally cause people to be of a state as far as health is concerned, so bad that they can’t do their job, they can’t function. What a thing to mix in with the scenarios that are going to come to pass that we already know about when we talk about EMP’s or things of other natures like this.

But anyway, I want to go ahead and read some other articles here. “Delta passenger volume down 94% as it burns $60M per day.”[2] Incredible to realize the impact that this is having on different industry. That’s just one when it comes to transportation. So when you talk about horses, donkeys, whatever, and you think about transportation and so forth, that’s what happened to Egypt. That was beginning to be devastated at this point here and that’s what this country is starting to go through. The world is starting to go through that.

Another one: “Oil set to ‘crater’ Monday as OPEC meetings delayed, tensions flare between Saudi Arabia and Russia.”[3] People aren’t getting along. Things that are happening with oil, the battle that’s going on there. It’s kind of mind boggling what’s happening.

“The UK warns against ‘damaging protectionism’ after US accused of ‘highjacking’ masks meant for Europe.”[4] So even in something as simple as this, masks. These attitudes and feelings toward this country. This attitude toward the United States around the world is changing – from India, China and Russia, obviously, and the rest of Europe and how people are feeling just because of this. This is just ramping it up because of this virus that’s happening and the response of the United States, this protectionism of just protecting self first, understanding why. But again, it affects attitudes and toward other people toward us.

Another one here: “‘Modern piracy’: Germany joins France and Canada in accusing Trump of stealing masks.”[5] Now, you might think that’s a small thing but when you begin to have attitudes and feelings toward someone, against them, this just makes it stronger and harder and that’s what’s taking place right now in the midst of all this to a point in time, because I’ve commented on that in times past – what could make 10 nations all of a sudden come to a point that they’re willing to do what they are toward the United States at the end? It’s becoming clearer because one thing happens and that attitude is just ramped up more and more and more. Well, I’m not going to read the whole thing there but article after article here.

It says: “The OPEC+ meeting could send oil prices crashing below $10.”[6] This fear out there of the economy and what’s going to happen and what’s happening across the United States when it comes to shale oil production and some of the other things in the oil industry, period. People are taking a huge economic toll. It’s taking a great toll in ways that are hard to describe, the reality, because this is happening so quickly. That’s what’s amazing. This is happening so quickly, which in some respects is a plus, because the quicker these things are from one to another the better off it is in the sense of being able to humble people without time to recoup too much, hearts becoming hardened, and then trying to go on through the next one, and then some through that process becoming humbled.

Because that’s what happened in Egypt. In time here it was as a matter toward the government, toward Pharaoh, that “Let them go or we’re all going to be dead. There is not going to be anything left at all.” That’s a part of a reality to live through as well.

“Millions of applicants but “Only 100 loans disbursed’ in latest small business bailout shock.”[7] I think, what a horrifying thing. Told all this money is out there and ready and then the system is so broken, the ability to get it out there. It’s horrifying, it truly is. People are, you know, how do they sign up? How do they get the funds to make it? Because small businesses, the ability to play employees, what a horrible thing to live through because it’s just not there. People are trying to survive through this, people living from paycheck to paycheck and there’s nothing there. What do you do?

It’s having a rippling effect, a snowball effect in a very powerful way that’s going to cause everything to come to a head here before long. It can’t last long so maybe it’s going to be short-lived. We’ll see how long this goes.

Here is another article. I’m just reading some headlines. “51 recovered coronavirus patients in South Korea test positive again after release from quarantine.”[8] So where does the spread stop? You’re caught in a catch-22 (I got that right this time, catch-22) and what do you do? When can you start the economy again? How do you do it? Slow? Fast? Because they are beginning to see the suffering. They’re beginning to see the impact this is going to have in an economic way as far as the economy is concerned and it’s devastating.

What do you do and how do you do it? Because it gets to a point where the economic loss, the things that can take place as a result of that could be far worse than letting the virus go. You talk about a catch-22, how do you make such a decision?

Another one here. What was it the other day here I heard that so many of this, the system that’s out there and being able to try to disperse some of this information and the funds and the governments are using cobalt programs that go back forty years. And you think...? Never upgraded? What a horrifying thing to think that so much of it is bogged down because of an inability to handle this. They can’t handle the onslaught of what’s taking place.

Here is one entitled “The greatest idiot…”[9] “...80% of the global workforce has seen their workplaces closed or partly closed as a result of the crisis.” That’s massive! 80%. I couldn’t help it when I was going through and preparing some of the sermon thinking about the impact that this had on Egypt and the percentages of things that just grew and grew worse and worse. This is not a small thing.

“A tiny portion of workers will be covered by government payroll schemes or other insurance, and they face long delays in receiving money. Over a billion workers have been affected.” Can you imagine the billion workers around the world? That’s hard to grasp! “Many will be forced to take on crippling debt to get through the crisis. This will prove the biggest, most devastating, demand shock in history.” That’s understated. But that reality really hasn’t hit yet and some of it because of the speed at which this is happening.

Another one, just here in the U.S.: “A shocking 17 million Americans have filed for unemployment in past 3 weeks.”[10] “...Put another way, we have lost 1132 jobs for every confirmed US death from COVID-19 (14,817).” So people begin weighing that. Well, what’s worse when it’s all said and done? And what a decision to have to make.

“This is simply stunning. ‘The U.S. labor market is in free-fall,’ said Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics in New York.”

Another one here: “What’s next: ‘Italeave’...” Like Brexit, Italeave, “or a European Union crack-up?”[11] I find the different things that are taking place in Europe incredibly interesting because we know about ten nations, that when it’s all said and done it doesn’t matter how many have been in between or all along the way, twenty-seven. Doesn’t matter; none of that matters. What matters are the ten at the end who do what they’re going to do. That’s the finality of it all, if you will. This particular article here it just shows this iron and clay thing and they’re trying to keep it together. That in itself reveals we’re so close. Because in many ways it’s cracking up and it can’t survive as it is. That’s what forces people to make choices and decisions about keeping something together.

It says, “Since the birth of the European Union, there has been an intense debate about the possibility of creating a two-track Europe...” That’s not the first time hearing that but what is different is this is forcing them to look at it now more earnestly with a very strong likelihood this is what’s going to happen quickly. It’s going to be a decision that’s made when it’s made, quick decision. “...divided between the Mediterranean nations and those of Northern Europe.”

Another article here: “Americans not making their mortgage payments soar by 1064% in one month.”[12] You think that’s not going to come around and smack a lot of places real hard?

Another one here: “Major meat processors shutting down plants as employees get sick with COVID-19.”[13] I mentioned that.

Another one here because of that spin off of what it said in South Korea a moment ago, and an article now a couple days later: “South Korea scientists warn: COVID-19 can spontaneously “reactivate” in cured patients.”[14] How do you deal with that?

“Fed chair Powell says U.S. economy deteriorating with alarming speed.”[15] Well, people are just starting to feel an alarm in that and they really haven’t hit that one yet because they’re still talking about getting another two trillion out there. “Let’s put another $2 trillion...” The reality of these things is it’s going to be fast when some of this happens.

Another one here: “We can’t give our product away” - Farmers toss thousands of acres of fruits, veggies as sales plummet.”[16] I’ve seen a lot of things on TV here recently about different things they can’t get in to harvest certain areas, fields full of strawberries that’s gone to pot. They can’t do anything about it. There are no markets for it now because so many of them are just closed right now. No restaurants, no large places, schools. All the things that existed has had a horrible impact. I think of this, again, when it talks about the plagues and what happened to Egypt. That’s happening right now in a different way because of something that’s taking place with Covid-19 but it’s the same result and it’s for the same purpose of what it’s doing in the minds of people.

Another one here: “In late thriller, OPEC production cut deal collapses after Mexico gives crown prince the finger.”[17] Well, people are really happy with each other and so tensions building up more and more. This thing of oil, it’s just one of so many, so many, but it’s bringing a collapse to the entire world.

“New larger wave of locusts threaten millions in Africa.”[18] I don’t know if you’ve seen some of the pictures on TV, but it’s really quite astounding seeing some of these pictures coming out of just the sky filled. It’s like clouds and there you are.

Well, I’m not going to go through any more of that, but again, this might be a good place to stop here today because I think it’s a good focus in just considering some of these things, considering where we are in time, and understanding there is such a similarity in purpose in why things are happening exactly the way they are now with the way they did back then.

Just the similarity of people being told to stay in their homes for Passover may end up being a very strong, very strong similarity before all this is said and done, just happening in a different manner. But it’s the purpose, it’s the reason behind it, that should be very sobering and yet in one respect exciting because we realize what’s behind this is the answer to it all – to get through this, to get through it so that the world can have real relief, real truth, so they can begin to live a kind of life that indeed brings them out of captivity, out of the bondage that they’re in.

[1] https://www.barrons.com/news/hit-by-virus-pentagon-warns-enemies-don-t-test-us-01586537705?refsec=afp-news

[2] https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/delta-passenger-volumes-down-94-it-burns-60mm-day-buffett-dumps-delta-southwest-shares

[3] https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/04/oil-set-to-crater-monday-as-opec-meeting-delayed-tensions-flare-between-saudi-arabia-and-russia.html

[4] https://sputniknews.com/world/202004051078840214-uk-warns-against-damaging-protectionism-after-us-accused-of-intercepting-masks-meant-for-europe/

[5] https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/modern-piracy-germany-joins-france-canada-accusing-trump-stealing-masks

[6] https://whotrades.com/people/474441518/timeline/5416295?showMore=1&highlightPinned=1&gam=frbtr

[7] https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/millions-applicants-only-100-loans-disbursed-latest-small-business-bailout-shock

[8] https://www.foxnews.com/world/coronavirus-south-korea-patients-test-postive-again-quarantine-release-covid-19

[9] https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/greatest-idiot

[10] https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/shocking-17-million-americans-have-filed-unemployment-past-3-weeks

[11] https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/whats-next-italeave-or-european-union-crack

[12] https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/americans-not-making-their-mortgage-payments-soar-1064-one-month

[13] https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2020/04/09/coronavirus-latest-major-meat-processors-shutting-down-plants-as-employees-get-sick-with-covid-19/

[14] https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/south-korean-scientists-warn-covid-19-can-spontaneously-reactivate-cured-patients

[15] https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/fed-chair-powell-says-us-economy-deteriorating-with-alarming-speed/ar-BB12o0Ak

[16] https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/we-cant-give-our-product-away-farmers-toss-thousands-acres-fruits-veggies-sales

[17] https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/late-thriller-opec-production-cut-deal-collapses-after-mexico-balks

[18] https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/new-larger-wave-locusts-threatens-millions-africa-n1181216