Pharaoh’s Government was Socialism
But via Moses His Government Loses ALL
In our last post I discussed how Joseph was instrumental in developing socialism, our modern term, in ancient Egypt {How Joseph Developed Socialism}. In this post I want to discuss how Moses broke that socialism and the insight it gives us into how God deals with the governments of earth. The fundamental assumption is that all governments are of Satan who worked through Cain to establish the first government (Ge 4:16-17). This quickly became violent and nearly wiped out all opposing views in the antediluvian world. God intervened with the Cataclysm {Flood} but saved Noah and his immediate family (Ge 6:1-8). Postdiluvian man quickly returned to the ways of Cain and Nimrod established the first king-priest government over all mankind (Ge 10:8-10; 11:1-9). God intervened resulting in the dispersion of people over the all the lands. Egypt, Mizraim {Two Kingdoms}, was the most enduring of these very ancient kingdoms. One man was both: King of Egypt, head of the government, and Pharaoh, head priest of their works-religion. When a ruler arose who did not know Joseph; i.e., did not appreciate Joseph’s accomplishments, he enslaved the Hebrews who were more free than his own subjects. After several hundred years of this oppression, God heard His people and Moses was developed to be God’s agent to deliver the people; this is the early chapters of Exodus (Ex 6:1-13).
God makes a very interesting statement when He tells Moses {Drawn from the water}, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet” (Ex 7:1). Pharaoh, as high priest, was considered to ascend to divinity upon his leaving this life if he was worthy; i.e., maintained ma’at or balance. God was going to put Moses on par with Pharaoh, his equal which was unheard of in Egyptian, and every other ancient, society. The leader was above everyone because of his semi-divine status. Later kingdoms, especially during the Axial Age, separated king from priest into two different people and modern societies separated government from religion, in theory. Since governments define morality they must have a moral or religious foundation that justifies their morality; this is their religion.
Nine Testings of Egypt were not Plagues
They were displays of God with a man-god
When God sent Moses to Egypt, Moses’ mandate was to ask Pharaoh to let the people go into the wilderness to worship God (Ex 4:21-23). If Pharaoh refused then God, who considered Israel His first born son, would kill Pharaoh’s, and as head or father of the people all the first born sons of Egypt would die instead. This was the command and its subsequent judgment. It is incorrect to consider the death of the first born as the Tenth Plague; in fact, plague is an incorrect translation of the Hebrew. The nine displays of power were not plagues but were contests of power from God to one who considered himself a god; i.e., Satan and through the man-god Pharaoh who was Satan’s representative in Egypt (Is 14:13-14). These nine displays of power were God’s judgment on Egypt for standing in rebellion against God (Ex 7:2-2-4). The Hebrew word incorrectly translated as plague, נָגַף nâg̱ap̱, actually means to strike. Thus, Pharaoh actually is the first type or example of the coming of the one whom is called Antichrist (Re 13:1-10). These judgments were in three sets of three: the first challenged the power of the king of Egypt; the second challenged the Pharaoh or priest of Egypt; finally, the third challenged the people who worshipped the idolatry of the king-priest for all were guilty of rejecting God. We could discuss each of these judgments but it would miss the point of this post. Suffice it to say, God, through Moses, quickly broke the government of Egypt. Egypt lost its possession over all the land and people of Egypt and took hundreds of years to recover; though it never returned to its former glory. What is God teaching us by raising and then lowering the government of Egypt.
Nebuchadnezzar was also a Satan antichrist
But God intervened to save him by Grace
For us to understand God’s actions I believe we need to go to Habakkuk. Habakkuk was mourning the wickedness of Judah to God. God told Habakkuk that He had a solution, He would bring the Babylonians, Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Jerusalem to punish His people as He had allowed the Assyrians to do to Israel, the northern kingdom. Habakkuk was horrified that God would use a people more wicked than the Jews and proceeded to lecture God (Hab 1:12-17). Then, he stopped and waited for God to instruct him (Hab 2:1-4). Habakkuk’s observation was correct, God was using sinners to punish sinners; however, since all people are sinners, even the saved, what was Habakkuk’s expectation? Even he was a sinner who needed grace, as he discovered.
Christ judges the nations on His Return
Sheep on His Right; Goats on His Left
But, the real message is how God gives up the lost to their desires and their misinterpretation of this as approval of their rebellious works-religion-government. Habakkuk laments that the Babylonians will think they have accomplished the destruction of Jerusalem and worship their own poweress and religious artifacts. However, God informs him, and us, that lost man will always worship himself until the time of judgment (Hab 3:6-19). In grace, God reduced Nebuchadnezzar to the state of an animal, picture of a sinner as an example to all, then made him stand as a man and saved him (Da 4). Christ described this judgment of the nations that will occur upon His return to set up His Millennial Kingdom (Mt 25:31-46). What is His criteria? How the nations, and their peoples treated carriers of the true Gospel of salvation. Those who supported and protected these messengers were saved, believed, and ushered into the Millennial King. Those who disbelieved and turned these messengers over to the Antichrist for torture and death were immediately raptured into Hell to await the final judgment (Re 20:11-15).
Egypt was the first example of this criteria. When Egypt protected God’s messengers, the Hebrews, the nation prospered greatly. However, when the nation forgot how and why it became great and persecuted God’s people, God judged them (Ex 5:1-2). They were reduced to abject poverty and even gave possessions the departing Hebrews (Ex 3:21-22; 12:33-36). This remains in effect today.
If America was ever great it was because the government did not hinder the spread of the Gospel. However, over time the nation forgot why it prospered and began worshiping itself. Today, the nation works against the Gospel and the judgment of God will result in the poverty of values, degradation and violence, and economic degradation of judgment. America’s support of Zionist Israel testifies to its blindness of whom are God’s people. Christians who support this great whore of Babylon have been poorly taught in God’s word and are being used by the government for its own ends (Re 11:8; 18). God is not mocked; whatsoever a nation, and people, sow they shall also reap much to their own shame (Ga 6:7-8). Christ warned His followers to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves for the lost will think they are doing God a favor in destroying them; and us (Mt 10:16-25; Jo 16:1-4).
It began on an individual level with Cain killing Abel because of his righteousness and continued on the governmental level with Egypt serving as the quintessential example and it continues today exemplified by the False Jews, Great Babylon Whore, encouraging governments and their crony businesses to persecute God’s believers. We are to endure in the Spirit until He comes to us or we go to Him. We know He first loved us and His love casts out our fear of the world and death (1Jo 4:18-19).