Plagues appear throughout the biblical record. The first mention in the Old Testament was sent on Pharaoh for the protection of Sarah, Abraham's wife. - Gen. 12:17 - The next plagues were the ten afflictions experienced by the Egyptians when the Pharaoh refused to release the Hebrew people from bondage. While these plagues were phenomena with which the Egyptians were familiar, they exhibited miraculous features that were characteristic of God's judgement.
Later, during the years of the Exodus, a plague was sent upon the Hebrews for making and worshiping a golden calf. 'Yahweh answered Moses, It is the man who has sinned against me that I shall blot out from my book. Go now, lead the people to the place of which I told you. My angel shall go before you but, on the day of my visitation, I shall punish them for their sin. And Yahweh punished the people for moulding the calf that Aaron had made.' - Ex. 32:33-35 - Another occurred because of their murmuring against the food which God provided for them. And the spies who brought faithless reports about the Promised Land were inflicted with a plague.
A wind came from Yahweh and it drove quails in from the sea and brought them down on the camp. They lay for a day's march either side of the camp, two cubits thick on the ground. The people were up all that day and night and all the next day collecting quails: the least gathered by anyone was ten homers; then they spread them out round the camp. The meat was still between their teeth, not even chewed when the anger of Yahweh blazed out against the people. Yahweh struck them with a very great plague. - Num. 11:31-33 -
The men whom Moses had sent to reconnoitre the land who on their return had incited the whole community of Israel to grumble against Yahweh by disparaging it, these men who had disparaged the land were all struck dead before Yahweh. Of the men who had gone to reconnoitre the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive. - Num. 14:36-38 -
When the Hebrews complained about the righteous punishment of the rebels Korah, Dothan and Abiram, 14,700 people died of a plague. - Num. 16:46-50 - In another plague sent upon the Hebrews because of idolatry at Baal-Poer, 24,000 people died. - Num. 25:9; Josh. 22:17; Ps. 106:29-30 -
The plagues were sometimes miraculous events. At other times they appeared as natural phenomena. But always they represented God's aggressive acts to punish sin and disobedience among His people. It can be found in the New Testament too. And in fact, we, the peoples on earth are experiencing it, yesterday, today, tomorrow and days to come. Then, we may ask, How can we be save and lives?
When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, he said, 'All these things you are staring at now - the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed'. And they put to him this question: 'Master', they said, 'when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?'
'Take care not to be deceived', he said, 'because many will come using my name and saying, "I am he" and "The time is near at hand" Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon. The he said to them, 'Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.
But before all this happens, men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment and bring you before kings and governors because of my name - and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives............ - Luke chapter 21; Mark chapter 13; Matthew chapter 24
You study scriptures, believing that in them you have eternal life; now the same scriptures testify to me and yet you refuse to come to me for life! As for human approval, this means nothing to me. Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you....... - John 5:39-47 -
You will not be expecting...since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. It is when people are saying, 'How quiet and peaceful it is' that the worst suddenly happens, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there will be no way for anybody to evade it.......God never meant us to experience the Retribution but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, alive or dead, we should still live united to him. - 1Thess. 5:1-10 -
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now..... He will make his home among them; they shall be his people and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone. - Rev. 21:1-4 -
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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