The exodus from Egypt is a prophecy for Believers today. During the last days, before Messiah returns, deception will be on the rise. We need to be aware of the Enemy’s ability to manipulate through his counterfeit movements. To see this deception in action, and to see the awesome power of our God, let us recall the miraculous events in each of the plagues against Egypt.

The First Plague – Blood

“And the LORD spoke unto Moses, ‘Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.’ And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded…” (Exo. 7:19-20)

This first plague went throughout all of Egypt; even the Hebrew slaves suffered this hardship. In response, the magicians in Pharaoh’s court attempted to duplicate Yahweh’s power, and because they brought forth the same miracle, Pharaoh’s heart grew hard. He would not heed the authority of Moses and Aaron.

We find parallels of such hard-heartedness in our world today. Messiah told us that in the last days, people will, “…be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matt. 24:10-12) Those who do not soften at the Word will find themselves hardened by it. If we do not keep God’s commandments, and love one another, our hearts will harden. The same Word of God will produce different results, in different kinds of people. A soft heart will melt like wax when exposed to the heat of the Word.  A hard heart will dry out like clay, when exposed to the same heat. The Word of God is a discerner of our thoughts and the purposes of our hearts. When things heat up, and the pressure is on, the truth comes forth.

The Second Plague – Frogs

“And the LORD spoke unto Moses, ‘Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.’ And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.” (Exo. 8:5-7).

Once again the Egyptian magicians were able to produce a similar wonder. Because of the blindness of our humanity, darkness and light can sometimes seem indistinguishable to our natural minds. Therefore, we must have the discernment from Yahweh. If it may be possible for the very elect to be deceived, then the deceit must be shrouded to appear as truth. The Apostle Paul warned of this counterfeit in his writings to the Corinthians. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Cor. 11:14-15)

Paul also warned of this end times deception in Second Thessalonians, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders…” These powerful signs and lying wonders are real, but the source of the power is from Satan with the expressed purpose of deceiving. Why is the human lust for power so strong that some will open themselves up to deception? Why are people seduced into following false prophets? Second Thessalonians continues with the answer, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”(2 Thes. 2:8-12)

We need to meditate on the eternal consequences of these verses. Love is the answer. The love of the truth is our only defense against both the delusion and the deception of the last days. Do not let your love grow cold. If we do things contrary to the Word, or if we do not love the truth above all else, we will find ourselves open to lying and deluding spirits (see 1 Kings 22:22-23).

What is truth?

When Messiah Yeshua was brought before the authority of Rome, Pilate asked Him, “’Art  thou a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘Thou say that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause  I came into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice.’ Pilate said unto Him, ‘What is truth?’” (John 18:37-38) The very Word of God, manifested in the flesh, stood before Pilate, and he was so blind, that he could not see. Yeshua came to bear witness to the truth. According to Scripture, “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law [Torah] is the truth.” (Psalm 119:142) The widow of Zarephath, also testified about the truth. After the resurrection of her son, she knew that the word in the Prophet Elijah’s mouth was truth. “And the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.’” (1 Kings 17:24)

When Yeshua came to bear witness to the truth, He came to uphold the Torah and the Prophets. In His transfiguration on the mountain, Moses and Elijah, representing Torah and the Prophets, stood with Messiah. Everyone who hears Yeshua’s voice should be in agreement with the truth of Torah and the Prophets. If anyone speaks against the eternal truths of Torah and the Biblical Prophets, we are not to listen to them. Even if the seemingly “anointed” teacher manifests both signs and wonders, we must be wary of the intent of his words. “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples….To the law and the testimony: if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isa. 8:16-20)

Deluded teachers say and do things that oppose the Word; they speak against the Torah and the Prophets. They claim that:  “the Law is done away with” or “the Torah is only for the Jews”. False leaders and teachers prophesy things that are contrary to what is written in Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, etc. Yet the New Covenant Scriptures state,“…the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” (1 Cor. 14:3) To be subject to the Biblical prophets is not something taught in most seminaries today. The prophets we embrace should be in agreement with the Prophets of Ancient Israel. We need to be a people who are working toward “…the restoration of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since the world began.” We are told in Acts 3:21, that Yeshua will not return until the words of the Prophets are fulfilled. If you desire His Kingdom to come and His will to be done, then seek out what Moses (Torah) and Elijah (The Prophets) have to say to our generation.

What is the purpose of the Prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures? They are crying out for Israel and Judah to repent and return to the Holy One of Israel, to remember His Covenant, based in Torah. They also foretold of the reason why God would need to initiate the New Covenant and how Messiah Yeshua will restore the Kingdom to Israel. If you hear a prophet who utters something that is incongruent with prophets of Scripture, it is because that prophet is not subject to the Biblical Prophets and is, consequently, missing the aim of Torah.

The Third Plague – Lice

The LORD said, “’Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all of the land of Egypt.’ And they did so…And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not…Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God’: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened…” (Exo. 8:16-19) After this third plague, Yahweh makes a distinction between His power and the power of the Satan. The magicians can no longer compete. Even still, Pharaoh refused to listen because he was deluded into thinking that he was a god. Pharaoh’s pride was preceding his fall. To avoid this same calamity we are instructed in Scripture to do what the LORD requires of us, “to do justly… love mercy, and to walk humbly” with our God (Micah 6:8). Walking humbly, in the fear of the LORD, will convert our souls and save us from the wrath that is to come. Because we serve a just God, justice will come forth through His judgments upon the earth. For those who have His Torah written on their heart, there is nothing of this world to fear. The only positive fear is the fear of the LORD. “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.” (Psa. 19:7-9)

The Fourth Plague – Flies

This plague was against Egypt and Egypt alone. Prior to this plague, no distinction was made between the Hebrews and the Egyptians. The first three plagues were as difficult for the Hebrew slaves as for their Egyptian masters. However, with the announcement of the fourth plague, the LORD said, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if thou wilt no let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee…And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there…And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be.” (Exo. 8:20-23)

As the plagues became more sever, a distinction began to show between who followed the God of Israel and who did not. This demonstrates that Believers can have, and will suffer trials and tribulations. They can suffer the same as those of the world, as the LORD brings forth His judgments on the earth, but it only lasts for a season. Ultimately, Yahweh makes a distinction between those who do, and those who do not, belong to Him. Messiah Yeshua also referred to this distinction. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matt. 7:20-23)

As we celebrate Passover each year, we remember the wonderful truth that our God is going to deliver us.  In the Lord’s Prayer, the Greek word translated “deliver” means to draw to one’s self, to rescue. So when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”, we are asking the Lord to rescue us by drawing us to Himself so that evil is not allowed to come near where we dwell. When we do suffer trials in this life, we can draw near to Him and let Him keep us in the shadow of His wings. We hide and abide in His tallit (prayer shawl) of love. “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” (Ps. 119:114)

The fourth plague upon Egypt begins the last seven plagues. In the book of Revelation, the last seven plagues are where the wrath of God is poured out. “I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” (Rev. 15:1) The Elect may go through a season of judgment and tribulation, but they are not appointed to suffer God’s wrath. In the end times, there will be a distinction between Believers in Messiah and those of the world. This distinction is foreshadowed in the Torah by what happened to Israel when they came out of bondage in Egypt.

This Passover season, remember that our deliverance is complete in Messiah Yeshua. No matter what we have to endure, it is only for a season. Yeshua is the reason for our Passover Deliverance and He will lead us into the Greater Exodus to come that will overshadow the days of Moses.

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land. (Jer. 23:7)