2. INTERLUDE
This is the APOSTOLIC KINGDOM FATHERING season.
We are in a process of restoration and it becomes necessary to
define and redefine our teaching as new revelation comes
concerning the purposes of God and his kingdom
We as a church have not been known for embracing change and
revelation readily.
Apostles are the primary custodians of revelation regarding the
purposes of God, however we have been taught primarily by
theologians who have done well to base us in the LOGOS.
However, they could not give us the right interpretation or
revelation of what the Holy Spirit was saying through the words, we
thus have areas of doctrine that need to be radically changed
The reality is that our revelation of the purposes of God continue to
affect our understanding and interpretation of Scripture
3. LET US INVESTIGATE AGAIN
When the Scriptures speak concerning the
church, to what is He referring?
Are the popular concepts able to stand in the face
of present truth?
Why did David need to build and construct a
tabernacle that was so different from Moses’
tabernacle?
What is the Holy Spirit saying to us through the
revelation of David’s tabernacle, since the Lord said
that this was what he always desired and it is this
that he will restore?
What is it about David’s tabernacle that is integral
to the establishing of the kingdom of God?
4. WHAT WE WILL ESTABLISH HERE?
The pattern of God in clearly this, that he chooses
or creates a man in his image and likeness and
gives that man authority and responsibility to
transform the earth by subduing it
He gives that man a seed or a family that is brought
into a special relationship with God by virtue of
being a part of the family of the man that God has
chosen
They then are a unique and holy people unto God
through whom all of his purposes are fulfilled. He
calls them THE CHURCH, His CALLED-OUT
ONES
5. ABRAHAM’S SEED
The earth had gone through a series of changes and God
had given to several generations the opportunity to become
the instruments of his kingdom in the earth. Adam had
failed and so had Noah and his sons.
God started something new with Abraham, calling him out
of his familiar territory and separating him even from his
beloved relatives to bring him into a relationship with the
Sovereign One
In Isaac God gave him a seed after the flesh, but a type of
the seed after the spirit, the Corporate Christ (Gal.4)
God made him a father and gave him a family, revealing
the basic foundational components and instruments of the
kingdom of God
But God showed him that his children would be in Egyptian
bondage for over 400 years but would be brought out by
the mighty hand of God
6. MOSES THE DELIVERER
God raised up Moses as a deliverer in Egypt who would
be used to bring Abraham’s children out of bondage and
into the land of Promise
After a series of judgments upon Egypt, God brought
Israel out with a mighty hand and they became the
“church in the wilderness”.
They were a people who needed to be delivered from
their strongholds through the Word, the rain that would
change the character of the wilderness and cause it to
bloom because they had gone through it (Acts 7:38;
Isaiah 35:1-10)
God met with them at Mt. Sinai and revealed to them
that they were a special people chosen by him to be the
instruments of his purpose towards the world, if they
would follow his instructions and walk in his covenant
(Ex.19:4-6)
7. INTRODUCTION:
When the Lord sent Moses before Pharoah He
referred to the nation Israel as "my son, even my
FIRSTBORN," Ex.. 4: 22.
The Lord says in Hosea 11:1, "Out of Egypt I called
my son."
In context, God is referring to Israel, and
prophetically, He is referring to His Son Jesus
Christ (Mt 2:15).
There is, however, an intriguing personal
application of this scripture: every son of
God, sooner or later, will receive a divine call to
leave their own, personal Egypt.
8. WHAT DOES EGYPT REPRESENT TODAY?
Egypt can represent many things.
Most notably though, it represents spiritual bondage
and mediocrity, of any type, in any area of your life.
Even faithful, praying, Bible-reading, church-
going, Spirit-filled, heaven-bound Christians can
find themselves trapped in various forms of Egypt.
Being born-again does not instantaneously remove
all of our bondages and bandages.
Rather, it schedules an unavoidable, appointed time
when the Father will call us out of them.
9. EXODUS VERSUS EXCUSES
This call comes in various ways: through illumination in
Bible study, a persistent inner conviction or "burden", a
conversation with another believer, a Spirit-led
sermon, and so on.
Regardless of how it comes, to every son it will come.
However, when the exodus call came to ancient
Israel, they were opposed by ten spiritual forces.
These forces beckoned them with equal persuasion to
remain in Egypt.
These forces were ten of Egypt's gods (or more
appropriately, demon-gods).
These ten gods embodied ten beliefs, which you will
see, are actually ten crippling excuses that keep
people in Egypt to this very day.
10. AN EXODUS OUT OF EXCUSES
Excuses are beliefs, and beliefs are gods!
Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 10:5(NIV): We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God...
The Amplified Bible says, "we refute arguments
and theories and reasoning's".
Paul's words are polarizing. Every
belief, argument, theory, opinion, rationale and
excuse we possess contrary to divine truth is a
little god we are bowing to and being controlled
by.
11. TEN GOD-EXCUSES, TEN PLAGUES
Every person has or had one or more of the following
ten god-excuses.
They are well-summarized in the Egyptian deca-
godhead.
Thankfully, the Lord showed us how to demolish them
through His ten judgment plagues on those gods.
Be keen here saints...the ten plagues are not just a
sensational account of Yahweh's supremacy.
It is a practical illustration of how He accomplishes our
exodus out of our Egypt by demolishing, with us, our
enslaving god-excuses.
Let's prepare our hearts for the meat of this teaching, we
been in our Egypt long enough.
12. Peter said God will judge His family now, meaning, He
will deal with our unChristlike elements through and
through until we are blameless and complete.
For the time [has arrived] for judgment to begin with the
household of God; and if it begins with us, what will [be]
the end of those who do not respect or believe or obey
the good news (the Gospel) of God? 1 Peter 4:17 (AMP)
And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through
and through [separate you from profane things, make
you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your
spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and
complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah). Faithful is He Who is
calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He
will also do it. 1 Thess 5:23-24 (AMP)
13. [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories
and reasoning's and every proud and lofty thing
that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge
of God; and we lead every thought and purpose
away captive into the obedience of Christ (the
Messiah, the Anointed One), Being in readiness to
punish every [insubordinate for his]
disobedience, when your own submission and
obedience [as a church] are fully secured and
complete. 2 Cor 10:5-6 (AMP)
I don't like these scriptures or their tough wording.
But the great news is, if we cooperate with the
Father's loving judgment of our god-excuses, we
are delivered from our Egypt and granted the
abundant life dripping with milk and honey.
There is a rest in God in Christ that every believer
can enter if you so choose.
16. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
Supreme Egyptian belief vowed Egypt could not
live without the Nile River and the favour of its
god, Hapi.
It was the channel from life to death and the
afterlife.
Naturally speaking, it was a perpetual source of
sustenance.
They depended on it to grow crops, attract
wildlife, for transportation, and to secure trade with
other nations.
17. OUR NILE, OUR GOD-EXCUSE:
o I cannot live without my Nile River.
Every human being has a "Nile River"--a
person, thing, behaviour, or activity they depend on
supremely, above the Lord, as their ultimate lifeline.
Their #1 dependency. Their strongest affection.
It is that "biggie" in a Christian's life always competing
with God's will and God's best.
A person's Nile usually traces back to childhood
precedents and imprints.
We drag our feet to exodus primarily because we
believe we have no real life without that Nile.
We become like the ancient Egyptians, worshiping and
submitting to Hapi.
To provoke us to exodus then, Yahweh must plague our
Nile and judge Hapi
18. YAHWEH'S FIRST PLAGUE: TURNING THE
NILE'S WATER TO BLOOD
(Exodus 7:14-24) Through Aaron's staff, the Lord
strikes the Nile and turns its water into blood.
The fish die, a rancid stench covers the land, and
the water becomes undrinkable. What once brought
life was now bringing death and disgust.
Our Nile, our god-excuse. The excuse that we
"cannot live" without our Nile is a high thing, a
mental god we have exalted against God's reality.
It was pre-sentenced to a demolition before it ever
came into being.
19. SO WHAT DOES GOD DO?
He contaminates our Nile.
What once took care of us now causes problems.
What once made us high now takes us lower than we've
ever been.
What once were enjoyable now stresses and distresses.
What once brought life now brings death and disgust.
What on earth is happening?
Brace yourself...God is plaguing your Nile, judging your
Hapi, demolishing your deified excuse.
Remember, Paul and Peter promised He would (1Co
10:20-22, 1Pet 4:17).
20. PRACTICAL RESPONSE
The Lord said He alone would be our river of life, our
supreme lifeline, our perpetual sustenance.
This does not mean He never uses practical, earthly
vehicles to care for us, because He does.
It simply means our conscious dependency
(thoughts, emotions, and words) is on Him as our river
of life. It means He is our obsession.
When the Lord plagues your Nile, understand it is a sign
that your exodus has begun in this particular area.
Resist trying to de-blood your waters, and run to the
Living Waters instead through honest prayer and
contrition.
The sooner you stop running to that Nile and start
running to the Living Water, the sooner your soul will
exodus from that dependency.
21. Jeremiah 2:13 (NKJV):...They have forsaken
Me, the fountain of living waters...
John 7:37,38: If anyone thirsts, let him come to
Me and drink....out of his heart will flow rivers of
living water.
24. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
The Egyptians pedestaled the frog as an icon of fertility
and new life. And appropriately so, for after the Nile's
annual flooding millions of new frogs spotted the
land, giving Egypt an image of the amazing power of
fertility.
Heket (Heqt) was their goddess of fertility, usually
depicted with the head of a frog.
Frogs, however, have a bizarre dual identity.
They are amphibians, derived from the Greek word
amphibia meaning "two lives or two modes of
existence".
They spend their larval stage as a plant-eating aquatic
tadpole, and their adult stage as a terrestrial carnivore--
two very different identities and anatomies.
This has cutting spiritual meaning.
25. OUR FROG, OUR AMPHIBIOUS GOD-
EXCUSE
I cannot decide if I am Egyptian or Hebrew. Am I a
child of bondage or a child of God? I am double-
minded."
Every Christian must face the frog nature within
themselves when the exodus season comes.
We've been in Egypt so long...our parents and
grandparents are still in Egypt...our present belongings
and relationships are very Egyptian...am I
Egyptian?...no, I'm a child of God...then why do I want to
stay so bad?
Such perpetual double-mindedness becomes our god-
excuse for staying, or worse, leaving and craving to
return and antagonizing the deliverers God has sent.
26. YAHWEH'S SECOND PLAGUE:
(Exodus 8:1-15) Through Aaron's staff, the Lord
causes an overwhelming invasion of frogs all over
Egypt.
Frogs were everywhere--in people's
clothes, beds, cookware--everywhere.
Even a basic conversation was
impossible, drowned out by the cacophony of a
billion frogs croaking everywhere.
The almighty frog Egypt once admired for its fertility
was now a repulsive mini-monster debilitating even
the most basic routines.
27. WHAT IS OUR FROG EXCUSE?
Our frog, our god-excuse is our ongoing wishy-washiness
concerning God's exodus command is a high thing, a mental
god we have exalted against His reality.
We are bowing to Heket, that detestable frog-goddess, and in
doing so, we become quite frog-like ourselves--having two
modes of existence.
We become double-minded as to whether we should stay in
dependent tadpole waters, or, exodus out onto a good land
where there is sure footing and rest from restless swimming.
So what does God do?
He gives us our fill of our own indecision. He lets us
experience, in overwhelming measures, the consequences of
being wishy-washy about His will.
Is it really a frog we want to be like? Then frogs He will give
us.
28. PRACTICAL RESPONSE
That man should not think he will receive anything
from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable
in all he does...purify your hearts, you double-
minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your
laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
James 1:7,8, 4:8-10, (NIV):
Don't be an amphibian. Have only one mode of
existence: determined to follow Yahweh out of Egypt.
God's grace does not negate the need for your co-
operation.
Wanna be a tadpole forever, swimming restlessly in
unstable waters, always dependent on something bigger
to take care of you...or not squash you?
Christian tadpoles, grow some legs and grow up!
31. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
Geb was the Egyptian god of the earth, especially
dust and soil.
It was believed the earth formed his body; a
noteworthy parallel to Yahweh's creation of Adam.
Geb's name derives from the original Egyptian word
gebeb, meaning "weak one, lame one"; another
important parallel to the biblical testimony that man
is inherently weak.
Geb is usually depicted as a reclining man, though
sometimes he is seen wearing the headdress of a
goose.
32. OUR GEB, OUR GOD-EXCUSE:
I am too weak.
Remember, Geb's name means "weak one".
The Egyptians simply deified their own sense of
human frailty.
Now, before we snub the ancient pagans, realize
we, too, bow to our own mental Geb when we use
"human weakness" as our excuse for bondage and
mediocrity.
Are you weak? Yes, me too. But Yahweh's reality
says much more.
33. YAHWEH'S THIRD PLAGUE
(Exodus 8:16-19) In this plague directed at Geb, the
Lord turns all the dust of the earth in Egypt to
lice, and worse, causes them to swarm all people
and animals.
Geb, the admired "king of the weak ones", was now
being exposed as the weakling demon-god that he
was.
He could not even answer Pharaoh's magicians
beckoning him to either produce or remove the
bugs.
Not only this, but human weakness came into true
focus, as the people were overpowered by trillions
of miniscule bugs.
34. Our Geb, our god-excuse to incite us to exodus, the
Lord must demolish our weakling self-image and excuse
repertoire.
He will use people and things that are obviously weaker
than us to defeat, overcome, and at times, embarrass
us.
When we have had our fill of unnecessary defeat by
fleas we should be whipping, we look earnestly to the
Mighty One to find a new identity of strength.
Moses struggled with weaklingness (Ex
3:11, 4:10,13), as did ten of the twelve spies (Num
13:31-33), Gideon (Jud 6:15), and Saul (1Sam
9:21, 10:22).
Moses and Gideon became powerful in Yahweh, the
strong One, whereas the ten spies and Saul remained
weak through their mental Geb, the ultimate weak one.
35. PRACTICAL RESPONSE
Superseding human weakness through Yahweh is primarily a
function of fasting and faith-risks.
Isaiah 58:6,11 says fasting (with prayer and worship, obviously)
will do just about anything and will "strengthen our frame".
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of
wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the
oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6
(ASV)
11 and Jehovah will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in
dry places, and make strong thy bones; and thou shalt be like a
watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Isaiah 58:11 (ASV)
Faith-risks are acts of obedience that defy our fear and weakness.
Gideon found a new identity of strength in the Lord by destroying
Baal's altar and Asherah's pole, a very risky act of obedience
indeed (Jud 6:25-32).
Then he was made mighty to face the Midianites.
38. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
Khepri was Egypt's god of rebirth and renewal.
His name Khepri is associated with the Egyptian word
kheper, meaning "dung beetle, scarab beetle".
This beetle lays its eggs in dead animal
matter, especially dung, from which new beetles
emerge after being born.
The Egyptians, then, not understanding the science of
egg-laying, mysticized the event and purported that
scarab beetles were created and recreated
miraculously from dung.
Thus, "Khepri" was concocted, and became the
deification of rebirth and renewal. Sounds funny and
silly...at first.
39. OUR KHEPRI, OUR GOD-EXCUSE
My beginnings are death and dung.
How many of us have significant childhood pain?
How many of us spent our early years in dung?
How many of us use the past as an excuse for our present and
future?
Just like scarab beetles, though, somehow we have managed to
emerge from the dung and create a decent life above the poop. The
beetles never permanently leave the dung though.
Many Christians live like this. They function above and around the
poop of their beginnings, but never completely and permanently
leaving it.
Eventually, they create the next generation in that exact same poop.
God did not assign His people "a decent life", above and around past
poop.
He has prepared for us the abundant life (Jn 10:10), the life that is
good, pleasing, and perfect (Ro 12:2), an inheritance that is
delightful, with boundary lines in pleasant places (Ps 16:6).
40. YAHWEH'S FOURTH PLAGUE:
(Exodus 8:20-32) This plague is a bit unclear because
the original Hebrew text only says swarms. It does not
specify. Therefore, it is assumed by many Bible
translators that Moses was referring to swarms of
flies, blood-sucking
gadflies, dogflies, mosquito's, stinging gnats, or any and
all other types of aggressive insects.
Our Khepri, our god-excuse.
So also we, if we submit to our disappointing past as an
excuse, can expect Yahweh to plague that excuse!
He will let the full force of our past surface, surround
us, and overwhelm us until we realize we must resolve it
and leave it forever.
41. PRACTICAL RESPONSE
We are not dung beetles. We are human
beings, the glory of creation bearing the glorious
image of a magnificent Creator!
We must repent and renounce our excuse that we
cannot thrive in life simply because we began in
dung.
We must repent of the decent life, the mediocre
life, the good-enough life.
Pray and say the scriptures out loud that assure the
abundant life.
God will send small and big opportunities to create
a new, poop-free present and future. When He
does, take them!
44. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
The Egyptians certainly had a sensational way of worshiping the
genders.
Knowing these historical details is necessary to understanding
Yahweh's fifth plague, and our own exodus.
Hathor was the super popular cow-goddess of all things feminine.
She is called by many nicknames: "Mistress Of Heaven", "Celestial
Nurse", "Mother Of Mothers", and "Mistress Of Life" are only a few.
Anything pertaining to women, from problems with conception to
matters of beauty to matters of the heart, was Hathor's prerogative.
She was adored as the deity of
love, romance, joy, passion, perfume, dancing, music, alcohol, childbe
aring, and on and on the list goes, earning her the nickname, "The
Great One With Many Names." Like most women, she was quite the
multi-tasker.
Hathor developed from prehistoric cow cults, thus, she is depicted as
a cow with beautifully painted eyes, a woman with a cow's head, or a
woman with a cow's headdress.
46. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
Apis was the bull-god who embodied powerful
masculinity, specifically, strength, virility, libido, and fighting spirit.
The Pharaohs (who were males) were closely tied to the "Apis
bull", a literal bull believed to be inhabited by the divine spirit of
Apis.
This bull was housed in a temple and cared for lavishly by
Pharaoh's priests.
At the end of the bull's term, it was slaughtered and its flesh eaten
by the Pharaoh. He would then inherit the great power of Apis.
Hathor was the symbolic mother of Pharaoh ("the son of Hathor").
Thus, in this relationship we see the cow and the bull come
together as the most preeminent and sacred of all animals in
Egypt.
Finally, it is important to note that Aaron's calf-idol was a model of
the Apis bull (Ex 32:1-6), as were the golden calves Jeroboam set
up at Bethel and Dan (1Ki 12:26-30).
47. OUR APIS AND HATHOR, OUR GOD-EXCUSE:
(Men) "I am Strong."
(Women) "I am Emotional."
We may not own a bull or pray to a cow-headed
lady, but as Christians we can also deify our gender?
How many Christian men do not walk closely with
Jesus because they resist being humble, weak, and
broken before Him?
Their god-excuse, or Apis, is, I am strong, I cannot be
weak, I am a man, strong like a bull (macho).
How many Christian females do not enjoy the fullness
of Christ because their "emotions" and "heart" and
"moods“ not the Word determine reality for them?
Like every which way Hathor, they are all over the place
emotionally.
48. YAHWEH'S FIFTH PLAGUE: CATTLE DISEASED AND
KILLED
(Exodus 9:1-7) In this plague, Yahweh attacks Egypt's
cattle and other domesticated animals.
Like a shotgun, it sprayed multiple pellets of judgment in
different directions. It marks a notable increase in Yahweh's
irritability towards Pharaoh.
First, the plague was a personal attack on Pharaoh, since
all the livestock died, including his sacred Apis bull (v6).
Second, it was an attack on Egypt's arrogant masculinity in
general, for every single bull of every man perished.
Third, it was an attack on Hathor, for every cow perished.
Fourth, it was an attack on Egypt's deified femininity in
general, for every cow representing every Egyptian female
perished.
49. Fifth, it was attack on Egypt's culture, since Hathor
was celebrated as the joy of Egypt, the most
popular deity, and Apis, the religious figure tied to
their king.
Sixth, it was an attack on the Egyptian economy.
The mass destruction of livestock created economic
misery, delivering awesome blows to the food
supply, transportation, military
equipment, farming, and all economic goods
livestock-related.
Our Apis & Hathor, our god-excuse, the Lord will
plague our beloved bulls and cows too.
Our genders can no longer be a high excuse for
bondage and mediocrity.
Yahweh will bring down exalted gender perceptions
in our minds.
50. PRACTICAL RESPONSE FOR MEN
Men and women have unique gender struggles, and
therefore, a tendency to use those gender issues as an
excuse. God will surely address this when it is exodus time.
Men...There is only one type of strength God recognizes--
strength that is from Him, through Him, and to Him.
Paul gave Timothy advice especially relevant to Christian
males. 2 Timothy 2:1 should be cherished by every man in
Christ “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is
in Christ Jesus”.
Any strength we possess or attain outside of the grace of
Jesus becomes an Apis bull Yahweh will eventually plague.
Seek His strength daily and in every circumstance through
submissive prayer, time in Bible study, and resistance-free
obedience.
51. PRACTICAL RESPONSE FOR WOMEN
Women...God's commands in Scripture do not have a
clause saying, "...except during mood
swings, PMS, or emotional extremes".
God expects growth, obedience, an exodus in spite of
these things. Don't be all over the place like Hathor.
Learn to use the Word and the Spirit in prayer to
balance your emotional life.
Acknowledge your emotions honestly, but seek higher
ground in Scripture and wisdom to determine your
reality and responses.
Romans 8:6: The mind of sinful man is death, but the
mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.
Proverbs 3:17: [Wisdom] Her ways are pleasant
ways, and all her paths are peace.
54. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
Imhotep was a talented Egyptian man who lived in Egypt's Third
Dynasty under King Zoser (ca.2635-2570 BC).
He served in many ways: chancellor to the pharaoh, high priest of
the sun-god Ra, architect, scribe, physician.
His dominant contribution was in medicine, and also the target of
Yahweh's sixth plague.
Imhotep is considered to be the first physician in early history, the
real father of medicine. Some two millennia after his death, he
was deified to the status of a god, becoming the Egyptian god of
medicine and healing.
His popularity was widespread, engendering a thriving cult even
in Greece where he was equated with Asclepius, also a deified
man and god of medicine and healing.
Related to Imhotep were Pharaoh's magicians, a group of
shamans who blended mysticism and medicine to treat physical
maladies.
These magicians, with Imhotep and other medical
gods, comprised Egypt's health care system.
55. OUR IMHOTEP, OUR GOD-EXCUSE:
"I am Physically Weak and Infirm."
Many saints remain in bondage and mediocrity because of
physical weaknesses or maladies.
Even though our inner life is first a spirit and soul
operation, our physical bodies play a major part in
hindering or helping us.
In fact, Christians can use their physical issues to excuse
themselves from aspects of God's will.
When we bow to our physical condition over God's will, we
bow to Imhotep, Egypt's master of the human body.
Whatever God's will might be for our life, His grace is
sufficient to invigorate our spirit, soul, and body to succeed
and abound.
Paul knew this from first-hand experience (2Co 12:7-10).
He said God is sanctifying our body in addition to our spirit
and soul (1Th 5:23).
56. 9 And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient
for thee: for my power is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory
in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may
rest upon me. 10 Wherefore I take pleasure in
weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for
when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Cor 12:9-10
(ASV)
57. YAHWEH'S SIXTH PLAGUE: SKIN BOILS
(Exodus 9:8-12) Yahweh commands Moses and Aaron to
grab handfuls of soot from a furnace and toss it in the air
before Pharaoh.
The airborne soot miraculously transforms into dust and
expands to become a dust cloud covering the land of
Egypt. As the dust settles on the people and animals, nasty
and painful boils break out on their skin.
Egyptian medico-religious practice called for the sacrificing
of live humans to medical gods, burning them on an altar
and tossing their ashes into the air.
They believed that for every scattered ash a blessing would
fall upon the people.
God shows remarkable sarcasm here, taunting Egypt!
He commands Moses to also toss ashes into the air, except
the ashes descend with painful boils, not blessings.
58. In a troubling verse of Scripture in Deuteronomy
28, God threatens to plague His people with the exact
same boils for idolatry and perpetual disobedience.
Deuteronomy 28:35: The LORD will afflict your knees
and legs with painful boils that cannot be
cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top
of your head.
A few verses earlier, He says the same thing, even
referring specifically to the boils He sent upon Egypt
(v27): The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt
and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from
which you cannot be cured.
59. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US TODAY?
Paul explains in two New Testament scriptures.
Romans 11:22(NKJV): Therefore consider the
goodness and severity of God...
1 Corinthians 10:11(NIV): These things happened to
them as examples and were written down as
warnings for us...
We may or may not incur skin boils for deifying our
excuse, but one thing is certain, Hebrews 12:6(AMP)
says, "the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone
whom He loves, and He punishes, even
scourges, every son whom He accepts and
welcomes to His heart and cherishes."
60. PRACTICAL RESPONSE
We can optimize our bodies for God's will through healthy
lifestyle habits.
The majority of physical maladies Christians suffer come from
eating too much, exercising too little, sleeping poorly, and being
overstressed.
Why do we keep our churches squeaky clean but trash the true
temple of God, our own bodies (1Co 6:19,20)?
1Corinthians 3:17(NKJV): If anyone defiles the temple of
God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is
holy, which temple you are.
Divine health was always God's priority over divine healing. If
physical issues hinder you, and those issues have arisen from
unhealthy habits, today is the day to repent and start cultivating
health.
Exodus 15:26: "If you listen carefully to the LORD your
God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention
to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring
on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for
I am the LORD, who heals you."
63. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
Nut was the Egyptian deity of the sky and all heavenly
bodies. She is often depicted to be reaching across the sky
from one end to another, her hands toward one horizon and
her feet towards the other.
In a similar depiction, she is presented as a woman arched
over the earth-god Geb, highlighting her divine protection
over the earth.
When harsh weather struck, it was Nut the Egyptians
looked to. At times called "She Who Protects", Nut also
enveloped and protected Ra, the sun/sun-god.
She was quite exalted as a divine mother-figure, for she is
nicknamed "The Mistress Of All" or "She Who Bore The
Gods". Her most relevant title, however, was "Queen of
Heaven".
64. OUR NUT, OUR GOD-EXCUSE: "I NEED MY
QUEEN OF HEAVEN."
This is interesting. The "Queen of Heaven" concept
goes far beyond ancient Egypt. Humanity in general
loves the idea of a supreme female goddess, a
Supermom, a Superwoman.
The Canaanites had a Queen of Heaven named
Ashtoreth or Astarte. Israel passionately joined in
worshiping her (Jer 44:15-19).
The Sumerians had Inanna.
Akkad had Ishtar.
The Greco-Romans had Hera.
There is something deeply emotional and personal to
this Queen of Heaven thing.
65. Some people don't create and worship so-called
goddesses, they simply set up a domineering female to be
their god-like queen and Superwoman.
Ahab, 850 false prophets, and all the officials of Israel
pedestaled Jezebel in this way (1Ki 18:19, 21:11-14,25).
The church at Thyatira did the same (Rev 2:20-23).
Weak and fearful people (especially men) have a marked
tendency to let a domineering woman become their
Superwoman, their Queen of Heaven, their Nut.
Some Christians cannot exodus because they are tied up to
a domineering woman.
For some, this woman is their mother.
For some, it is their spouse or romantic partner.
For some, it is their spiritual leader or mentor.
Whoever it is, that woman has an unhealthy and ungodly
control over us, blocking our exodus to a much better life.
But we allow it. She is our excuse.
66. YAHWEH'S SEVENTH PLAGUE: HAILSTORM
(Exodus 9:13-35) So Yahweh makes Nut, the goddess of the sky and
Queen of Heaven, the bull's-eye for his next plague--a horrendous
hailstorm. He even taunts the demon and the Egyptians, giving them
a twenty-four hour advance notice.
To the Egyptians who feared the word and sheltered their livestock
and servants, the notice became a forewarning of mercy.
To those who did not, it was a taunt indeed, for God gave them a full
day to bring all their magic tricks and prayers before Nut to stop the
plague.
Nut was helpless, paralyzed to avert or protect. The hailstorm
crushed Egypt.
Our Nut, our god-excuse. We should not be surprised, then, when
hailstorms rain down on our co-dependent relationship with our
Queen of Heaven.
God may leave this relationship untouched for many seasons, but
when the exodus season comes, so will the hailstorms.
God may or may not terminate the relationship forever, but He will
most certainly use His hailstorms to obliterate the ungodly bond and
dethrone the pedestaled woman.
67. PRACTICAL RESPONSE
Recognizing and confessing the ungodly relational dynamic
truly is half the battle. The other half is taking decisive steps
with the help of Holy Spirit to reconfigure the relationship or
terminate it completely.
I would suggest two steps to start.
First, set boundaries that create a healthy distance around
your heart, belongings, decisions, and life.
Jerusalem had walls, gates, and watchtowers to protect itself
and its independence (Ps 48:12,13). You must too. You must
recover the You that you lost in your Queen and present it only
to the Lord.
Second, cooperate with Yahweh's hailstorm plagues. Don't try
to repair what God is reconfiguring or terminating. Go with His
flow and let Him reconfigure the relationship or accept His
termination of it.
Ecclesiastes 7:13: Consider what God has done: Who can
straighten what he has made crooked?
68.
69. EGYPTIAN GODS #8: ERNUTET, GODDESS OF THE
FIELDS AND HARVESTS & NEPER, GOD OF GRAIN
70. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
Ernutet (alt. Termuthis, Renenet) was Egypt's goddess of the
fields and harvests.
She is therefore nicknamed "Lady Of Fertile Fields" and "Lady Of
Granaries".
The Egyptians sought her favor earnestly during harvest
time, presenting many offerings and festivals in her honor.
It was believed her gaze alone could result in great abundance to
crops.
Here is a portion of the Hymn of Ernutet,” I will make the Nile swell
for you, without there being a year of lack and exhaustion in the
whole land, so the plants will flourish, bending under their fruit..”.
Neper was Egypt's god of grain. His name means "lord of the
mouth", referring to grain being eaten as sustenance.
His body was spotted to represent grains of corn, and his name
written in the hieroglyphs also included the symbols of grain.
71. OUR ERNUTET AND NEPER, OUR GOD-
EXCUSE:
"I cannot control my eating."
Ernutet and Neper were food deities. The Egyptians
believed their food supply and diet were ultimately out of
their control, subject to the favor or disfavor of their
gods.
Similarly, many Christians also feel their eating is out of
their control. We may not ascribe our eating habits to
mythological beings, but we certainly believe food or
"food-demons" have the power over us.
Why do we wage war on the homosexual agenda but
accept a truce with obesity and other destructive eating
patterns?
Consequently, food and diet block our exodus and
entrance to the promised land.
Out of control eating will always keep us in bondage and
mediocrity.
72. When we as Christians suffer the consequences of out of control
eating, many of us simply go to a doctor or a prayer line.
We are less spirited though, about acknowledging the plague upon
our food supply and diet.
Just as God chastened Egypt's eating, Deuteronomy 28 says He
will do the same to His people who perpetually disobey Him.
In this context, the disobedience would be to principles of eating
healthily, moderately, and with self-control (a fruit of the Spirit).
Deuteronomy 28:38,42: You will sow much seed in the field but you
will harvest little, because locusts will devour it...Swarms of locusts
will take over all your trees and the crops of your land.
When the call to exodus comes, if out of control eating hinders our
responsiveness, consequences will plague our diet, body, and life.
When is the last time you fasted of your own volition?
73. YAHWEH'S EIGHTH PLAGUE: MASS LOCUST
INVASION ANNIHILATING THE FOOD SUPPLY
(EXODUS 10:1-20)
Yahweh comes after Ernutet and Neper in His
eighth plague.
Again He taunts Egypt and their demon-
gods, giving them advance notice of an
overwhelming locust invasion that will obliterate
their food supply.
The people and their precious gods were
helpless, forced only to watch as imminent
starvation hit the nation within days.
74. PRACTICAL RESPONSE
Unhealthy eating can range from mild to severe to
anything in-between, and can take multiple forms.
The truest first step, however, is repenting such eating
as sin, and that without the direct help of Holy Spirit and
friends, you are powerless against it.
Eat with your mind instead with your mouth.
The Bible says, “If you find honey, eat just enough–too
much of it, and you will vomit” (Proverbs 25:16).
http://powertochange.com/experience/spiritual-
growth/overeating/
http://oa12step4coes.org/loops/christian.html
77. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
The Egyptians worshiped Ra as their sun-god, creator, and
supreme deity over all others.
As the sun-god, Ra was purported to travel on two boats.
The morning boat was called Mandjet ("Boat of Millions of
Years"), and the evening boat Mesektet ("Night Boat").
Mandjet ferried him on his journey through the sky, resulting
in daytime, and Mesektet on his journey through the
underworld, resulting in nighttime.
Ra was a very social god. This is important to know.
On his day journey he was accompanied by a gang of
numerous gods.
On his nighttime journey he was accompanied and assisted
by various spirits and demons of the underworld.
78. OUR RA, OUR GOD-EXCUSE:
"I cannot leave my friends. I cannot go alone."
Ra could not be or do anything alone. He was constantly
accompanied and surrounded.
Similarly, many Christians cannot and will not move out
towards their promised land alone.
Their friends and social attachments are their excuse.
If the crew wants to go to Canaan, they will go too.
If they want to stay in Egypt, they will stay too.
They have not developed their individuality. Their identity is
lost in the group.
So Yahweh must plague their god-excuse in a fascinating
way.
79. YAHWEH'S NINTH PLAGUE: PERFECT
DARKNESS (EXODUS 10:21-29)
Yahweh's ninth plague of perfect darkness humiliates
Ra, assaulting his two foremost attributes: light (he was
powerless to alleviate the darkness) and sociality.
The darkness remained for three days and was so utter
it could be felt physically.
The key phrase in this scripture is in Exodus 10:23: No
one could see anyone else... The darkness was so
utter the people could not even see one another!
For three days, God totally stopped the social
interactions of a people who worshiped a social god.
Ra could do nothing about it. He was powerless to
protect and maintain the social lives of his people.
80. OUR RA, OUR GOD-EXCUSE
My experience with CMI (Jerusalem)
Underlying this brotherhood though, was a silent
attitude that said, I'll go if my brothers go, I'll exodus as
long as they do too.
Up until those exodus calls God had ordained and
blessed our little group.
The problem was, our calls pointed in different
directions.
The very thing that brought us together, covenant
theology was now standing in the way of our exodus.
We were elevating relationships above the call and
direction of the Lord.
We dragged our feet. And the more we did, the more a
plague of darkness manifested in our group.
81. Just like the plague on Egypt, eventually we could no
longer "see" one another--we could only see ourselves.
The entire apostolic team situated on three different
continents and comprising about 300 apostles and
prophets came to a dismal end.
I made my exodus in the way the Lord was leading
me, and from what I heard, the rest of the guys
eventually did too.
If social attachments are the excuse for staying where
we are, and we have heard God's exodus call, expect
a plague of darkness.
David experienced this plague, and described it with
the exact same terminology in Psalm 88:18: You have
taken from me friend and neighbor--darkness is my
closest friend.
82. PRACTICAL RESPONSE
No matter who goes or stays, we must go.
This comes down to how much we trust the Lord to provide
a new social life, or eventually revive the former one.
He will bless us with friends (Ps 84:11, Lk 16:9), but do we
love Him more than friends?
Will your friends be your god, your Ra?
Fix this trust issue in prayer, and you will be free to exodus
alone or accompanied.
11 For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows
[present] grace and favor and [future] glory
(honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He
withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied)
is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on
You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that
without fear or misgiving]! Psalms 84:11-12 (AMP)
85. EGYPTIAN BELIEF
Pharaoh was believed to be an incarnated
god, ruling over Egypt in human form.
His firstborn son, as heir to the throne, was
therefore also seen as an incarnated god.
He was Egypt's future.
86. OUR FIRSTBORN SON, OUR GOD-EXCUSE:
"I want to secure my own future."
Just as Pharaoh's firstborn son embodied the nation's
future, so also we can have a "firstborn son" for our personal
future.
What does this mean?
Our firstborn son is anything we have created and are
nurturing to secure our future, a relationship, a business, a
ministry, a child who is athletically talented, anything.
What makes our firstborn son a god though, is our deepest
intention.
Are we trying to secure our own future apart from God?
Are we emotionally affected by this thing more than God?
What is your deepest intention for this firstborn?
87. DON’T BE OBSESSIVELY PROACTIVE!
The future is important to all of us, and to God.
To some, it is all too important.
Consequently, they become obsessively-proactive in
developing a "firstborn son", something with potential
to secure them for life.
Many Christians will not leave misery or mediocrity
because they cannot step down as boss over their
future.
Their excuse is, I want to secure my own future.
The majority of church-goers will not verbalize this
phrase, but their heart screams it out every time God
initiates a deliverance.
88. YAHWEH'S TENTH PLAGUE: DEATH OF THE
FIRSTBORN (EXODUS 11, 12:1-30)
Finally, Yahweh maxes out his judgment on Egypt's
jugular, killing the firstborn male of every human
and animal.
The firstborn of Pharaoh, an "incarnated god", dies.
Pharaoh throat is cut. He lets Israel go.
89. OUR FIRSTBORN SON, OUR GOD-EXCUSE
God will not allow any others into His ownership of
our future.
If our firstborn has replaced Him as our heart's
hope and security, He will strike that firstborn.
If He would not relent from striking His own
firstborn, Jesus, to purchase our exodus, you can
be sure He will not relent from striking ours.
This He will do until He is our first security for the
future and we obey His exodus calls.
90. PRACTICAL RESPONSE
Jeremiah 29:11 is possibly the most adored
scripture in the Christian community, yet the least
believed in exodus seasons and struggles.
How do we fixate on the Lord as the uttermost
security of our future?
Change the message playing in your conscious
mind, especially at exodus moments.
Think, pray, and say out loud scriptures like
Jeremiah 29:11 and Exodus 3:8 regularly.
Get a friend or two to join you. Plant and nurture the
mental seeds that will invigorate you towards your
first Hope and Security.
91. Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you,"
declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Exodus 3:8: So I have come down to rescue them from the
hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land
into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and
honey...
Hosea 11:1, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all
men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly
desires, and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the
present age, looking for the blessed hope AND the
appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior
Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might
redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for
himself a people for his own possession, zealous for
good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove
with all authority. Let no one disregard you Tit. 2:11-15.