But in addition to a literal famine, it is also looking forward to a famine of the word of God. This is seen in the opening of the third seal in Revelation 6 where the rider on the black horse appears as a sign of famine. The first is that there will literally be famine on the earth. But during that time, there are also two things which are tied up in the picture. And it also pictures the time of famine which will come upon the world in the future during the tribulation. This is literally fulfilled in these Genesis stories. This is based on Pharaoh’s dreams which Joseph interpreted. The first is that there was expected to be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. It’s important to look back to our previous sermons to determine what is being relayed here. They are known as the Great White Multitude.ġ3 Now there was no bread in all the land ![]() While Israel is being cared for in one way, there is still another group who is being tended to during that period. The picture we will see in today’s verses is describing a specific group of people mentioned in Revelation. During the famine in Egypt, it is Joseph who controls and tends to all of the needs of his family.īut Joseph is also taking care of the people of Egypt who are under his authority. And I say this because today’s verses will show a dramatic change in the presentation of the events. These are the important aspects of what is being shown. After that, both times Israel is delivered by God’s might and power. It is sufficient that the famine which necessitated Israel’s move was for seven years and the tribulation is for seven years. Regardless of the actual time lengths, the patterns repeat. “What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.” Ecclesiastes 3:15 (New Living Translation) These patterns are more easily understood when we look at the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, a verse which I cite often – During the tribulation there will be great plagues upon the earth which so closely mirror the plagues during the Exodus that it is not coincidence.īoth of these are times of covenant fulfillment – 430 years from the Promise to Abraham until the law is given at Sinai, and the seven years promised to Israel for completion of their covenant responsibilities as relayed in Daniel 9:24-27. The tribulation is also divided into two halves of 3 1/2 years each. The reason for this is that they went to Egypt in the 215th year after the promise made to Abraham and they will come out of Egypt 215 years later – a period of 430 years. The way we know how to do this is through His word and so let’s go to that word now and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.Īs we’ve seen, the time of Israel in Egypt and then their subsequent exodus is picturing the time of the Tribulation period in the future. Let us not be found in such a crummy position, but let’s trust Christ now, placing our souls in His capable hands. We can either receive Christ now and be ready for Him at the rapture, or we will face the most difficult choices imaginable – life or death choices. But the picture is sure, it is reliable, and it is coming upon an unrepentant world. It has to be that way because I had to fit two sermons into one. Our sermon today will once again be a little bit longer than usual. Text Verse: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. This is the message of the Bible and it is the truth of God in Christ. Without God’s grace, we cannot merit eternal life. And so, for only the third time that I can think of, I went back and reconsidered every verse under the proper context. Until that word, I had been misevaluating the entire passage. ![]() One word, translated in the NKJV as “favor” is what made me stop and reevaluate the entire passage. And it wasn’t until that last verse that I realized that I’d fundamentally misunderstood what God is telling us about the future in these verses. And it still wasn’t resolved at verse 19. But as I was typing, studying, and thinking, I had an idea about what these verses were showing us, but it somehow didn’t seem right. The first was to be verses 13-19 and then 20-26. Introduction: I’d originally planned to do these 14 verses in two separate sermons. What Will a Man Give in Exchange for His Soul?
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