Bible Chronology Timeline

2. EGYPT: AN EXODUS TO FREEDOM

“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:14).

Shem Dies at Age 600 in the Year 2156

Imagine what a multitudinous gathering of the Semitic people from the regions of what is present-day Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq, who attended the funeral of their ancestor Shem, who died at the age of 600 in the year 2156. Abraham could not attend because he had died 35 years earlier. Isaac was 110 years old and living in Beersheba (Canaan). The 50 year old Jacob was living in Haran, Syria; so he could attend his ancestor’s funeral.

Chart of the Number of Years that Jacob Knew his Ancestors

Genealogical Position	Patriarchs	Year of death of ancestors minus year of birth of Jacob in 2106	Number of years Jacob knew his Ancestors
11th	SHEM	2156 - 2106	50 Years
13th	SALAH	2124 - 2106	18 Years
14th	EBER	2185 - 2106	79 Years
20th	ABRAHAM	2121 - 2106	15 Years
21th	ISAAC	2226 - 2106	120 Years
22th	JACOB	2253 - 2106	147 Years His life

The Semitic Route

The Semites were established and spread along the Mesopotamian region, and the Semitic route was later elongated by the journey of Abraham toward Canaan to the west of Mesopotamia. Both Abraham and his grandson Jacob had to emigrate from their homeland to reach the cradle of Shem’s seed. Abraham journeyed on the eastern side and Jacob on the western side of the Syrian Desert to reach Haran in Syria. God brought Abraham from the south-eastern land of Ur to Haran; He also brought Jacob from the south-western land of Canaan to Haran. Now you may ask… for what purpose did God bring those patriarchs to Syria? Well, God intended the descendants of Shem to interact with their ancestors and thus develop a solid foundation of their faith. Although Abraham was not alive to attend the funeral of Shem, he had known him in life. Abraham also interacted with his ancestor Noah; remember that Abraham was 60 years of age when Noah died. If Abraham emigrated from Ur of the Chaldeans to Haran before the death of Noah, and we know that he remained there until the 75th year of his life, it was for the purpose of interacting with his ancestors. Therefore, if Noah lived in Haran or in any surrounding villages, it would have been easier for Abraham not only to interact with Noah but also to attend Noah’s funeral.

Notice God’s providence even towards Ham who was cursed by Noah. To all the places where the children of Ham had spread, God sent His children of the lineage of Shem - even to Babylon, Nineveh, Sodom and Gomorrah. Of the children of Ham, two are well-known for having produced nations that rebelled against God: Cush and Canaan (Genesis 10:6). Cush, for instance, was the father of Nimrod who built Babel (Genesis 10:10), which later became Babylon in Mesopotamia; he also built Nineveh (Genesis 10:11) on the other side of the Tigris River near the border of present-day Iraq and Turkey. Canaan, on the other hand, was the father of the Canaanites who built Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 10:19), which were located near the Dead Sea between Israel and Jordan. In all the settlements of the children of Ham, Abraham the descendant of Shem, gave testimony of his faith and traveled the lands of the apostate children of the world. He could witness first-hand the work of rebellion at the construction of the tower of Babel. But under God’s guidance, he emigrated towards Canaan and settled down in the plains of Mamre (Genesis 18:1; 19:28); in the mountainous region of Hebron (Genesis 13:18), from where he interceded for his family in Sodom (Genesis 18: 25-26).

Israel Settles Down in Egypt in 2236

Remember that God did not allow Abraham to settle down in Egypt, when there was a famine in his days (Genesis 26:1). God also forbade Isaac to journey into Egypt when there was another famine (Genesis 26:2). But with Jacob it was a totally different story:

“And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation” (Genesis 46:3).

It was in the year 2236 when God estimated it necessary that the children of Israel emigrate from their homeland Beersheba in Canaan (Genesis 46:5) to Goshen in Egypt (Genesis 47:1). They emigrated because of the great famine that hit the whole world, which was more severe in the land of Egypt and surrounding nations. (Genesis 41:56). But more importantly, Israel departed to Egypt so that the prophecy spoken to Abraham might be fulfilled. To Abraham God promised: “I will make of thee a great nation…” (Genesis 12:2). On the day when the 130 year old Jacob established himself with his family of seventy members in Goshen, God’s promise for Abraham and Israel began to be fulfilled. Consequently, the promise given to Abraham was fulfilled a long time after Abraham’s death, when God commanded Jacob to leave Canaan and settle down in Egypt. Therefore, the text in Genesis 46:3 is emphatic “for I will there make of thee a great nation”; that is, when the Israelites were in Egypt, and never before that time. Therefore, Israel enjoyed the beginnings of nationhood in 2236; the year when they set foot on Egypt’s ground. From then on, they increased in number (Exodus 1:7).

Exponential Hebrew Population Growth

As soon as the children of Israel touched Egyptian soil they began growing in exponential numbers. An adjective, an adverb and a verb describe the manner of explosion growth that the children of Israel experienced to become a nation. Consequently, they “were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied” (Exodus 1:7). The marvelous Hebrew population growth became so prominent that the king of Egypt exclaimed with fear: “Behold the children of Israel are more and mightier than we” (Exodus 1:9). They had become a great and powerful nation inside Egypt so that the Egyptian authorities concocted diverse means of reducing the Hebrew population. As Egypt’s sovereignty could not contain Israel’s population growth they resorted to implement corporal punishment and forceful slave labour. But such measures only stirred up the Israelites’ longing for greater growth, and Egypt’s demography continued to be modified by the Hebrew nation. Thus the Holy Scriptures depict the Hebrew situation:

“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel” (Exodus 1:12).

Starting with 70 people at the time of arrival in Egypt (Exodus 1:5), Israel’s population began an exponential growth that continued for the next 430 years. After more than four centuries had elapsed it would number 603,550 male adults twenty years and over (Numbers 1:20-46).

The Prophet Moses Born in 2586

The time was soon approaching for Israel’s deliverance, and Satan, who was conscious of the prophecy of redemption through the Messiah, became very active in his desperate hope to thwart God’s plans. Through his right arm Pharaoh, he devised a ploy to hinder the progress of Israel in becoming a great nation by inflicting slavery on them (Exodus 1:11). Then Satan schemed a wicked plan to slaughter the Hebrew male born children through strict orders given to their midwives (Exodus 1:16). Such tactic did not work because the chosen midwives for that terrible task were pious women who feared God and disregarded Pharaoh’s orders. Therefore, Satan carried out a new scheme, through Pharaoh, who passed a mandatory law enforcing all Egyptian citizens to cast into the river all the male born Israelite babies (Exodus 1:22). It seems that Satan was afraid of something bigger as he exhausted all means through all his ploys to intercept God’s plan. Many children were slaughtered and drowned in the Nile river, yet God protected His deliverer.

Moses was born in the year 2586. It is fascinating how God used Pharaoh’s daughter to accomplish His plan of deliverance for Israel. In vain did Satan use Pharaoh to try and thwart God’s plan. Pharaoh’s daughter named the baby Moses (Exodus 2:10). Although Moses had an Egyptian name he was reared with a strong faith in the God of Abraham by his biological mother (Exo 2:8).

The Israelites had been taught by their forefathers that by Divine providence Israel should remain in Egypt 400, part of which they would spend under Egyptian bondage. This was to be prior to the repossession and inheritance of the land of Canaan. But the children of Israel who lived to see God’s deliverance and the fulfillment of the prophecy given to Abraham had to seek God’s will. They knew about the prophecy; but did they really understand the elements of its fulfillment?

Moses Becomes a Fugitive in 2626

Regardless of the spiritual condition of the people of Israel, Moses made preparations for the fulfillment of the prophecy and he became the deliverer of God’s people, because he was educated in accordance with the precepts of God. He was claimed and legitimized as a son by the Pharaoh’s daughter, yet as he was a Hebrew, he strived to maintain close connection with his people (Exodus 2:7-10).

Living in the palace, Moses had a clear knowledge that God had appointed him to be the deliverer of His people Israel. Thus, he was anxiously waiting for the fulfillment of the prophecy spoken by Abraham concerning the period of four hundred years. Somehow, he had come to understand that on the day of his birthday, when he should turn exactly forty years of age, he would bring liberation. Thus the Scriptures speak of Moses in such a way:

“And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel” (Acts 7:23).

Moses visited his people on the day of his fortieth birthday in the year 2626. This is evidenced in the phrase “when he was full forty.” He intended to associate himself with his people and let them know that God would bring deliverance under his leadership.

Like every good warrior, he hoped to employ his diplomacy to gain adherents to the movement of emancipation that should get momentum sooner or later. But first, he had to win his brethren the Israelites’ affection and confidence before he could give them directions. He had decided to visit them with the ideal of presenting himself as one with them, so that they could understand that one of the princes sitting at Pharaoh’s table was on their side. Although, he displayed the outward trappings of the idolatrous Egyptian royalty and was literate in the culture and religion of that pagan nation, yet he was a faithful believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; thus a worshiper of the God of his brethren the children of Israel.

Moses wished to give his people a sign that he was one of them and that deliverance was on its way. He wanted to prove to them that he had no spiritual connection with the Egyptian dominance. He wished to demonstrate to them that he was led by a different spirit than that shown by his palace peers. Accordingly, when visiting his brothers, as he encountered a Hebrew who was being beaten by an Egyptian superintendent, Moses grasped his first opportunity to give the Israelites an indication that through him God had a plan to overthrow the Egyptian oppression. Thus he ventured into slaughtering the Egyptian in the sight of the only witness, the mistreated Hebrew (Exo 2: 11,12).

But no rushed conspiracy was to play a pivotal role in bringing about the deliverance of God’s people. Obtaining royal and priestly education, Moses was received as an Egyptian prince, yet he knew very well that he himself was a Hebrew, and he was also waiting the time for the liberation of the people of Israel. He understood that he played an important part in God’s plan of deliverance. So, the Scriptures state: “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown…” (Exodus 2:11). What happened in those days? Well Moses who had been expecting the fulfillment of the prophecy, jumped ahead of God and made a mistake; he killed an Egyptian man (Exodus 2:12).

It is very easy to just think that Moses made a big mistake and get the matter over with. But the children of Israel made an even bigger mistake. On occasion of his visit to the children of Israel, Moses was hopeful that the Hebrews should be expecting his visit, but more importantly, he expected that the children of Israel would know that the fulfillment of the prophecy was at hand. He wanted to further confirm to them that God was bringing deliverance through him. In slaying the Egyptian, Moses had hoped that it was enough of a sign for them to understand that he was one with them and that he was God’s appointed deliverer. Obviously they did not see this as a sign of deliverance, which reveals that they were not ready to receive emancipation. The Scriptures state the reason as to what prompted Moses to defend the Hebrew slave in such a way that he even smote the heartless Egyptian to death:

“For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not” (Acts 7:25).

Israel had not made preparations for the fulfillment of the prophecy because, in their minds, God’s promise had fallen into oblivion. They were totally unaware that God had intended for them to remain in Egypt only the 400 years that Abraham had prophesied of. They had neglected to make preparations regarding the prophecy because they had not understood God’s Word. The problem was not just that Moses slaughtered the Egyptian, but that the people of Israel had failed to understand God’s plan of deliverance.

Moses’ Disappointment by Prophecy’s Postponement

When Moses killed the Egyptian, he was 40 years old (See Acts 7:23); exactly ten years prior to the accomplishment of 400 years of Israel in Egypt as anticipated in the Genesis prophecy. So it appears that Moses expected to be the deliverer of Israel when the span of 400 years should elapse. But just a decade before the fulfilment of that prophecy, all Egypt knew that Moses had slaughtered an Egyptian man. He had to flee as a fugitive out of Egypt because Pharaoh wanted to kill him (Exo 2:15). Consequently, he remained 40 years in the desert herding flocks in Midian (Exodus 3:1; Acts 7:30) until he should return to Egypt at the age of 80 (Exodus 7:7) for his second attempt at liberating his people Israel. Finally Moses lived for 40 more years in the wilderness leading the people of Israel until his death when he was 120 years old (Deuteronomy 34:7).

Prominent in the life of Moses is the number 40. Could it be possible that he considered that at the age of forty he would begin to deliver Israel? Did he consider it relevant the fact that it took forty days and forty nights for the outpouring of the great worldwide flood of Genesis 7:12? Did Moses also consider the significance of Noah’s action in opening the ark’s window forty days after the ark touched ground? (Genesis 8:6). Did he think it was relevant that Isaac’s age of forty at the time of his wedding should be also mentioned? (Genesis 25: 20).

Moses knew that ten remaining years were still pending; ten years should pass until the fulfillment of the 400 year prophecy. Moreover, he understood that he was the chosen person to carry out the deliverance of the people of Israel. Somehow he had come to understand that the number forty had something special. But he did not figure out that the forty days and forty nights of the great deluge had some special meaning for the outcome in Moses’ personal life.

Looking retrospectively, Moses could understand what happened to the prophecy given to Abraham. There had been a 30 year postponement for its fulfillment; there was therefore a disappointment for the faithful Moses. The prophecy had been contingent or conditional on the actions of Moses while in Egypt. But more importantly the prophecy was conditional on the attitudes and position taken by the children of Israel. Therefore the delay caused a great disappointment; the prophecy of deliverance must now be fulfilled only after another forty years should pass.

By faith Moses had waited for the time of the end of Israel’s slavery. He had considered that the beginning of the movement for deliverance should go forward at the time when he should turn forty years of age. But in Moses’ mind was not just the end of Egyptian bondage that had prominence; he was eagerly waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled exactly as promised to Abraham. Thus, for the first forty years of his life, and even when living in the Egyptian palaces, he was willing to become the spiritual leader of the children of Israel.

“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26).

The Scripture says “By faith Moses…” this was not the faith of the people of Israel for they were not making preparations for God’s deliverance. But in faith Moses had waited for the first forty years of his life, hopeful to take a central part in the fulfillment of such a wonderful prophecy. Sadly, the time had come and gone. Now Moses could ponder about what went wrong. Did God anticipate this great disappointment?

Great was the disappointment of Moses who in the desert would ponder the outcome of the recent events back in Egypt. Forty long and gloomy years were now due for Moses, who knew very well that God had indeed rescued him from the waters of the Nile, and that his life had been preserved for a special mission of deliverance for Israel.

The prophecy had been postponed because of the unbelief of God’s people. They had failed to understand that God was sending them a deliverer; but more than that they had failed to keep the faith in God and therefore they had failed to make preparations for the fulfillment of God’s prophecy. Thus, God allowed Moses to also make a mistake that for the next forty years would be the great disappointment of his mind.

In great disappointment, Moses had to flee as a fugitive, knowing that his dream had not come true. It was a terrible blow for this faithful man of God. Living in solitude he settled down in a remote place in the desert as he started a humble family. He began a new life; leaving the palace and royalty to become a commoner in the fields, working as a shepherd herding sheep. Thus, his dream to bring deliverance for the people of Israel had been crashed, at least for the next forty years.

Greater than his disillusionment were the doubts beginning to creep into his mind. Could it be that the prophecy was not meant to be fulfilled as he had understood it? Perhaps God had not chosen him to be the leader in the great movement of liberation? What if the people of Israel were not meant to be emancipated at the end of the four hundred years? Did he act naïvely in defending the Hebrew slave? Was he totally responsible for the failure in the fulfillment of the prophecy?

But as we have seen, the real culprits were the children of Israel. They had not understood the prophecy and had not inquired of the Lord as to who was God’s appointed deliverer. They should have realized that Moses, even when he shared the comfort of Egyptian royalty was indeed a true Israelite, descended from a Hebrew family of the tribe of Levi. His close family members with whom Moses had not broken connection were his older brother Aaron (Exodus 4:14) and his sister Miriam.

Yet the Hebrews ignored the facts; God was offering them help, but brought further harm to themselves by spreading the false news of sedition on the part of Moses whom they were not willing to accept as their leader. It is evident that they refused to accept Moses; but the terrible matter was deeper than that; they did not yet have the predisposition of accepting God’s guidance. Consequently the Hebrews questioned God’s providence: “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us (Exodus 2:14)?” Yet God did not forsake His people, His Word says:

“And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush” (Acts 7:30).

After the forty years had passed God appeared to Moses, Who commanded him to go back to Egypt and liberate His people. At that time, Israel’s generation that saw God’s providence understood the necessity of pleading with God in prayer for deliverance. Living in slavery they felt compelled to turn to God. Whether they understood that the number of years stipulated in the prophecy had reached its culmination or whether they pleaded with God just because of the rigorous enslavement, God knows. Thus in regard to the fulfillment of God’s promise, the children of Israel beseeched the Lord with all their heart so that God’s holy plan of deliverance should be expedited.

The time had passed for the prophecy’s fulfilment, and the people of Israel began praying to God for deliverance. God heard their supplications, which went to Heaven in the form of groanings, sighs and cries. It appears that they prayed to God by reason of the bondage and not because they understood Abraham’s prophecy of 400 years, which was extended to 430 years. Notice that the word ‘bondage’ is repeated twice:

“And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob” (Exodus 2:23-24).

Right after departing Egypt Moses commanded twelve princes to go and search Canaan. “And they returned from searching of the land after forty days” (Numbers 13:25). Because of the spies’ unbelief which Israel collectively joined in murmur and reproach against God, the Lord punished them, just like he did to Moses: “After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise” (Numbers 14:34). Did the Lord breach His promise? Yes, He did! And it was because of Israel’s unbelief, which happened twice, once when Moses defended the Hebrew slave and secondly when they joined the unfaithful princes who brought an evil report against God. Just like Moses passed 40 years in the wilderness also Israel needed to spend 40 years in a desert that would teach them obedience and respect for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel.

Israel’s 430 Years Sojourn in Egypt

While in Genesis the prophecy signaled 400 years of Israel’s sojourning in a foreign land (Genesis 15:13), in the book of Exodus the actual fulfillment was not until a span 430 years had elapsed. Now, the children of Israel were faced with a prophecy whose fulfillment was conditional on their faith. Exodus 12:40 is, therefore, relevant to our understanding of God’s prophecy given to Abraham. It is an elucidation that clarifies the fact that God’s prophetic Word in that regard was intended for the children of Israel living in Egypt. The text uses a phrase that leaves no doubt that the prophecy of the 430 years for Israel under the Egyptian slavery was aimed to include only the people of Israel who grew to become a nation while in Egypt. The explanatory phrase “who dwelt in Egypt” makes it crystal clear that the span of 430 years for Israel’s sojourning in Egypt began its counter at the very first day when the 130 year old Jacob and his family entered Egypt.

“Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years” (Exodus 12:40).

We have seen how the Word of God explains that the prophecy of the 430 years begins with Jacob and not with Abraham. Abraham and Isaac did not enter Egypt, to settle down there and become a nation. Jacob, on the contrary did enter Egypt to become a nation. In the Biblical accounts we find that God’s repetition of historical facts confirms our faith in God’s truth and it leaves no space for falsity, misrepresentation, or distortion of the Word of God. Moreover, every time that a repetition of a Biblical fact is given, it is added extra information in it.

Once again, God reiterates historical facts to affirm and confirm the trustworthiness of His Holy Word. The previous verse has already stated that the sojourn of Israel in Egypt was 430 years. Now Exodus 12:41 restates the same fact with a little extra detail which is an eye opener for understanding the prophecy. It states:

“And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12: 41).

When God repeats one fact He intends to awaken His people’s minds in order for them to keep focused as to what eventuated in divine history. God encourages and persuades His remnant people to reason together with the Lord, in this case as to why the prophecy was not fulfilled on the anticipated date as He had told Abraham. Most certainly God is faithful to His word and His truth is absolute. Nonetheless, certain people fail to understand and thus prevaricate from God’s truth. Consequently, it is immensely imperative that God’s faithful people follow the command of the Lord, as He encourages us to: “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23). We should pay attention to God’s reiteration of historical facts because God repeats historical facts for a reason.

Apart from the fact that God is repeating that the period of the children of Israel in Egypt was 430 years, the Word of God uses three meaningful phrases in Exodus 12:41. For instance: “and it came to pass,” meaning that the marvelous prophecy revealed by God and prophesied by Abraham 645 years earlier, had providentially been fulfilled. The prophecy had been given to Abraham when he was commanded to depart from Haran at the age of seventy five years (Genesis 12:4) in the year 2021 (for reference see the chart). And this prophecy began to be fulfilled in the year 2236 when Israel (Jacob) was 130 years old (Genesis 47:9). But there are some people preaching that Israel sojourned 215 years in Egypt when the Word of God clearly states that it was 430 years. Let us reason together with the Lord.

With the phrase “at the end of the four hundred and thirty years” God refreshes our minds with the fact that the Israelites spent a full span of 430 years in Egypt. This phrase also alludes to the original prophecy, and it does it with the emphatic article “the” which gives the specificity that this text is connecting Exodus 12:40 with Genesis 15:13.

God always fulfills His divine plans in His appointed time. The Exodus happened exactly on the day when Israel was completing 430 years in their residence in Egypt. The phrase: “even the selfsame day” gives us an indication that God wants us to pay attention to the chronological data. It shows that He is a God of discipline and order. The Bible prophecies were fulfilled in the moment when God attended to His appointment with us. Bear in mind that in God’s chronology the main focus is the redemption of this world. Therefore, the biblical chronology must have a solid foundation in order that the Messianic prophecies given in the Law and the Prophets might be understood as fulfilled in the exact time as God had preordained.

The Exodus: God’s Liberation of Israel from Egypt in 2666

How wonderful it was in the year 2666 when God brought liberation to His people Israel as “they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month” (Numbers 33:3). They were liberated from their Egyptian enslavers, who under the leadership of Satan and Pharaoh, had attempted to annihilate the last vestiges of faith in the children of Israel. But it was a dreadful year for the enemies of God, as Satan and his hosts were defeated; their vain religion was shamefully exposed and their wicked Egyptian nation was devastated. God brought retribution upon Egypt for having accepted Satan’s pantheistic religion of worshiping demons. It was Satan’s plot to induce the nations against God’s plan of salvation and God’s doctrines pertaining to the Heavenly Sanctuary. Pharaoh himself was worshiped by the deluded Egyptians; he had taken the prerogative that only belongs to God. Therefore, God brought ten terrible plagues that devastated Egypt’s fragile economy and their futile religion (Exodus 7:20- 11:8).

The last plague was the most devastating one. And in order for God’s people to escape the last plague they needed to heed and obey God’s requirements. The Israelites had to sacrifice an unblemished male lamb (Exodus 12:5), and mark their houses with the blood in three different parts of the house: in the two side posts and on the upper door post (Exodus 12:7). They also had to eat the Passover lamb with staff in hand, shoes on feet and loins girded (Exodus 12:11), and await God’s great deliverance. And God revealed to His people, His plan for that solemn night, He said:

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD” (Exodus 12:12).

Gathering the Israelites for one of the most holy convocations in the history of the world, Moses related to his people God’s laid-out plan of deliverance and assured them protection through the approaching night of impending judgment. They were to heed and obey carefully, in detail, all the commands of God and to go unhesitatingly and without delay and act promptly on the rest of that day and for what lay ahead for the night. The meeting had to be held and the instructions given, on the very day of their departure. “And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they” (Exodus 12:28). The children of Israel sacrificed their Passover and fixed their faith on the Messiah, the true Passover Lamb who saved His people from their sins.

God’s Retribution at Midnight

“And Moses said, ‘Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts” (Exodus 11:4-5).

It is significant that God chose the hours around midnight to show His power and bring retribution upon Egypt and its demonic doctrines and practices. The Egyptians regarded in high esteem the hours of midnight in which they celebrated their pagan rituals. In paganism the hours of midnight mark the beginning of a new day. But this common knowledge is against the Word of God.

The God Who created time, commanded that a day begins at sunset, not at midnight as the pagan religions teach. Therefore from creation day when God created the world He began counting days beginning with the sunset. “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Genesis 1:5). Likewise for the observance of the Sabbath, the day of the Lord (Genesis 2:2, Mark 2:28), the people of the Exodus coming out of Egypt should relearn that the seventh day should be kept beginning at sunset and ending at sunset next day. Therefore the command was given to the emancipated Hebrew people: “… from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:32).

So the people of God were reminded in the year of the Exodus in 2666 that a day begins and ends at sunset. They Israelites celebrated their ceremony in the evening (Exodus 12:6). And one and a half millennia later, on the day of the Lord Jesus’ crucifixion, God’s people still remembered that a day, in this case the Sabbath day, spans from sunset to sunset. The gospel reads: “And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath” (Mark 15:42), “and the Sabbath drew on” (Luke 23:54), “And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). Therefore, God appointed that a day begins at sundown.

Death at midnight was therefore God’s final judgment against the Egyptian’s observance of occult times, carnivals and wicked practices. God also commanded His people to refrain from such satanic practices as the use of enchantments, the observance of times (Leviticus 19:26), consulting familiar spirits, seeking the wizards (Leviticus 19:31), and making tattoos in the skin for the dead (Leviticus 19:28).

Pharaoh knew that more than one death would occur in every Egyptian house at midnight during the tenth and final plague. That was not a normal night, it was a night of retribution, and the Egyptians had been forewarned. Therefore they feared the dreadful premonition until about midnight when the Lord went out into the midst of Egypt and all the firstborn in Egypt died from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the servants and beasts (Exodus 11:4,5). And all Egypt kept awake with a great mourning as never before (Leviticus 11:6). The Word of God states:

“And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle” (Exodus 12:29).

It was midnight when in sorrowful groaning and anguished wailing all Egyptians voiced their hopeless cry for their many dead loved ones throughout the country. The Egyptians were punished by the tenth and last plague that visited their wickedness.

“And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead” (Exodus 12:30).

God Executes Judgment on All the Egyptian gods

God’s wrath in condemnation and repugnance against Egyptian idolatry in all its forms was revealed with the last plague. Necromancy was the demonic custom in Egypt to conjure the spirits of the dead. This was a country of many necromancers, the conjurers of demons through the practice of invoking the so called spirits of the realm of death. Demonic cults and rituals to the dead were performed in Egypt. Their wickedness had led them to adopt and give shape to devilish creatures such as Anubis the god of the dead having a human body and a jackal head. Osiris was the Egyptian governor of the underworld of the dead. Thus, the Egyptians had developed a strong fondness for rituals regarding death.

The Egyptians had practiced a pantheistic religion producing their own gods by the amalgamation of human and animal creatures. Consequently, Bastet was represented as a woman with a cat’s head, Hator was worshiped as a woman with a cow’s head, Horus was represented as a man with a hawk’s head, Isis was depicted as a woman with a cow’s horns, Mut was a woman with the head of a vulture, Ra was represented by a man with a hawk or a bull’s head, Sekhmet was represented by a woman with the head of a lion, and Apis was a bull. In fact, the Egyptians had their temples to those devilish gods, but in effect they worshiped and had great veneration for their representative animals.

Those who had a great fondness for death and the realm of the dead were visited by a terrible plague that saw the slaughtering of all the firstborn in Egypt, those of the animals and humans. The end of an era had begun for Egypt; their religion was in turmoil, all the Egyptian gods had been killed. Those who had disdained the true God, against whom they had hardened their hearts, were now confused and alarmed. Puzzled with such a great havoc they sank in hopelessness for they had come to the realization that their religion was empty and vain. By the hundreds of thousands their loved ones perished under the dominion of death, and to make things worse, their gods were now dead. Could they now comprehend that they had cherished a dead religion? Would they still cling to their demon gods who had failed to protect them? Thus, the Egyptians’ hope was shattered; their faith had crumbled.

After the mournful night of death in Egypt, and on the following day, their day of mourning, the Egyptians: royalty, governors, priests, armies, magicians, and commoners; all with no exception, buried their dead in distress and sorrow. With mixed feelings of anger, anguish and hopelessness they could not help but bury their dead loved ones and their dead animals which they esteemed as gods. They even buried their royal princes, some of whom would have become pharaohs themselves.

“For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments” (Numbers 33:4).

Egypt’s gods: Isis, Horus and Set (IHS) were judged at this time. Their futile religion was powerless and meaningless; their pagan representations in the form of unclean animals had been slaughtered. Now these devils; whose names still remain in vogue today, had been judged before the eyes of human worshipers. But when the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross of Calvary these same devils, and the rest of the demons together with Satan were judged before the eyes of God’s holy angels and the whole universe as they contemplated our Redeemer, whose character of love had emptied Himself to become a human being in order to save the fallen human race. Our Lord Jesus, a few hours before His execution pronounced this sentence: “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:31).

Regarding such a terrible day of visitation for the Egyptians Elihu had uttered the prophecy of its impending judgment. A judgment carried out in the darkest hours of midnight, a midnight of wickedness for the Egyptians, and midnight in actual time. They could not hide themselves from the appointed time of judgment from God. Thus, God had opened up this mystery, even from the days of Job through the utterance of Elihu, one of Job’s friends:

“In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand. For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves” (Job 34:20-22).

Chronologies of the Mysteries of God - Page 3