The Ten Plagues which are recorded in the book of Exodus are the disasters God sent the Egyptians when Pharaoh refused to let the Hebrews go free and allow them to worship God. Unfortunately, Pharaoh didn’t let the Hebrews go free and Egypt suffered extreme devastation as a result of the ten plagues. Ultimately, the plagues represent God’s power over the gods of Egypt and Pharaoh.
Moses played a major role in Exodus and in the deliverance of the Israelites. We know from Scripture that Moses lived to be 120 years old, but it wasn’t until he was 80 years old that God called him to lead His people out of Egypt. When Moses was 80 years old, God told him to return to Egypt and He would free the Israelites from slavery. God gave Moses specific directions on what to say and do. Moses was also told ahead of time that Pharaoh would not let the people go first, but finally after 10 plagues fell on the Egyptians, Pharaoh sent for Moses and told him to take the Israelites out of Egypt.
The Plagues of Egypt included blood, frogs, lice, wild animals or flies, pestilence of livestock, boils, thunderstorms of hail and fire, locusts, darkness for three days and death of first born. We know from Exodus that the first plague lasted for seven days, the ninth plague lasted for three days and the 10th was for one night, beginning at midnight. We aren’t told in Scripture how long the other seven plagues lasted but they were likely not much longer than these.
Many have questioned whether science can explain the plagues of Egypt. The question of whether Bible stories can be linked to archaeological discoveries has fascinated scholars for centuries. The Ten Plagues are not excluded from this. Throughout history, scientists have been curious about whether the story of the plagues are based on some event that can be proved to have happened. Science has come up with a number of major theories.
Recently, there has been a wave of four biblical plagues. This has many people wondering if the remaining six will soon strike. According to Jewish tradition, all of the plagues that struck Egypt will reappear before the final redemption. Here are four signs the ten plagues are reappearing.
The Plague of Blood
The Bible talks about the first plague in Exodus 7:20 which says, “Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood.”
Recently, there were signs of the first plague appearing with water turning to blood. There were several cases of rivers turning blood-red reported in different spots around the world according to Breaking Israel News.
The Plague of Hail
There were also signs of the seventh plague “hail” recently with hail showing up in many unexpected locations. Some of these included Saudi Arabia which was hit by base-ball sized hail and Swaziland, South Africa where the hail was so intense that it killed a herd of cows. What really caught attention was the biblical mix of fire and ice that struck in Australia as ice storms.
The Bible addresses this in Exodus 9:22 which says, “Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Hold out your arm toward the sky that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, upon man and beast and all the grasses of the field in the land of Egypt.”
The Plague of Locusts
Recently, Saudi Arabia was hit with a massive infestation of bugs, specifically locusts which is the eighth plague. While natural causes were blamed for the insects’ appearance, the images of locusts were quickly connected with the plague.
Exodus 10:15 speaks of the eight plague which says. “They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field through all the land of Egypt.”
The Plague of Darkness
The final plague that has recently appeared is darkness. Exodus 10:21 speaks of this plague when it says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.’”
In 2017, the total solar eclipse that crossed the continental U.S. was followed by one of the most catastrophic hurricane seasons that we’ve seen in our nation’s history. Following this, there was a lunar eclipse that passed over the country with major biblical significance.
When the Israelites ultimately left Egypt, they had a very clear picture of the magnitude of God and His power. They also could see God’s protection and plan for then. For all of those who were willing to believe, they had evidence that they served not only a true God but also a living God. For those who failed to believe (and many did), the plagues of Egypt and the initial trials led to other lessons by God. We know what the signs pointed to then. What do you think these signs are pointing to?
