Tag: Death Angel

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The Exodus story lives on in us.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When one looks closely you can see the story of death, sacrifice and blood from Genesis to Revelation. God himself killed the first animal to clothe the couple in the garden, covering their nakedness (Gen 3:21). Some scholars disagree, but I believe it subtly showed up with Adam’s sons, Cain and Able. Able chose to give God the best of his flocks, the firstborn of his lambs. Cain just gave some of his crops (Gen 4:4). One was a blood sacrifice, one was not. God chose this object lesson about blood to span the eons of time for humans.

The Exodus is an eternal story of redemption and sacrifice that points to the Messiah, Jesus, and beyond. Yet, even after Jesus’ own innocent blood become the markings on a wooden cross for us, death did not pass over Christ. Jesus gave his life as the one and only perfect sacrifice for anyone who would believe and recognize his death, his blood, as payment for their sin. Remember, anyone who eats the fruit of the tree of knowledge will die! The couple ate and immediately, spiritually died and eventually physically died as well.

Every human being has also eaten of the forbidden fruit since! Every human being, ever born, has believed the lie, eaten the fruit, and disobeyed God. Thus, every human is destined to die both spiritually and physically. Jesus death, his blood becomes the “sign,” the covering, on the doorposts of our heart and our life. To believe means that through faith, we have applied that covering so the death angel will pass over us as well, because we are marked (the New Testament uses the phrase, sealed with the Holy Spirit).

In the final book, Revelation, the ending of all things, we see the same theme of the blood as an end-cap to God’s grand story of redemption, of exodus, of completion. A loud voice declares that believers in Jesus have conquered the slanderer by the blood of the lamb (Jesus) and the word of their testimony (they lived and spoke of – not their own truth, but of Christ’s truth). We actually “bear witness” through belief and telling of our own story of being rescued! The Exodus story still lives on, in and through our lives today. Once I was blind, but now I see. I was lost but now I am found. Amazing grace how sweet the sound.

Prayer

​Dad,
What a grand story we are living! I am so thankful to not just be alive today, but to be a part of Your very long story.

Bravo God 🙌🏼 🙌🏼 🙌🏼.

When I was young in faith and in understanding of who You are, I thought these themes of sin, death and blood were so dark and creepy. Now, as I have matured, I see them as marvelously mysterious! I am not a huge fan of blood, I get pretty queasy, but I am a huge fan of being rescued and restored to a full and amazing life. I see more clearly now than ever before. And, I am hundreds of times more grateful.

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That death would pass over.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal.” Exodus‬ ‭12‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Like a scene right out of modern day horror movies, God tells His people, in these very ancient days, how to avoid the Angel of Death.

This one night, the Angel would makes its way through about 5 million people. Egypt’s population at the time was about 3 million and Israel had about 2 million. That’s a little more than the population of Los Angeles. Imagine the terror of a cataclysmic event sweeping from the foothills to the Orange Curtain when only and every and first born male (animals included), young or old, would be killed. This makes the Final Destination franchise look like a Saturday morning cartoon comparatively.

It is estimated that at least a half a million people did not wake up the next day. Lesson to be learned, don’t mess with God. When God asks a world leader to let his people go and warns them multiple times, showing them unfathomable miraculous power to carry out His plans – DO IT. Alternatively, when God warns His own to prepare (in great detail) and avoid death – DO IT. Both secular and sacred were adequately warned and given time to decide. Both secular and sacred would either heed and be spared or stubbornly deny and die. It was likely that some Egyptians close to the Israelites, listened and also participated in putting the Angel avoiding marks on their doorposts!

Is God cruel or our we just that stubborn? God is not cruel, but He is just, and always right. Here’s the overarching lesson for humankind. This absolutely true story stands as a global warning for all time.

Surprisingly Egypt as a country survived and still exists today, probably as a reminder to all of earth’s inhabitants. Is Egypt the superpower it was then? Does it still host a Pharaoh, who is the most powerful man in the entire region? No and no. It’s a very poor, broken country still plagued by death. Now, right alongside the wonders of ancient pyramids and the grand, but filthy Nile River there is danger, corruption and millions in slavery to its own poverty. God, in human flesh, actually lived in the country for a few years as and infant, yet still the secular, political powers that be will NOT bend a knee to the creator.

However, amidst the rancid smells of refuse and feces, under the oppressive rule of Islam (90%), there is a small but growing redeemed people of God in the country. The country no longer needs a death angel to remind them of their demise. Every single day poverty and disease does that. Thankfully things are improving for the ancient country of Egypt. One difficult data point – infant mortality, was peaking at 385 deaths per thousand births in 1955. Now, since 2020 that number has been lowered to only 20 deaths per a thousand births. One of the coolest opportunities to be a part of is our own SoCal Assemblies of God “Gateway Project.” One of the efforts in that project is to bring clean water via a simple water filter to the poorest parts of the nation. Clean water equals health!

Prayer

Dad,
So remarkable that one man, one ancient ruler could make a decision to try to annihilate an entire race by murdering their children. One child, through the disobedient intervention of his mother not only survived, but was raised by the same maniac who ordered his death. And that same child grew up to challenge the next ruler of that nation to set your people, Israel, free. And in that place of power, this new Pharaoh would make the decision that would cost the death of a half a million of his own people. What a stunning turn of events in history! Today, death still comes for all of us at some point. And today, like ancient days, you have provided a way of escape through Jesus. Thank you for the sign that hangs above my life and my family. We have the marks of Jesus telling the final death to passover, allowing us to live with you forever.