Good afternoon from here in Kenya and good morning to you in North America.

Today I want to weigh in on a subject that I have been teaching on quite a bit these last few months.

In various congregations and churches that I connect with on zoom especially from North America on Sabbath…..
They always include prayer for the National leaders and governments.
They seem to have a common thread when it comes to these prayers.
That common thread that I see is….. ” God please take the veil of the eyes of ( whatever political figure)….. or open his eyes so that he might change….. and so on and so forth.

Praying for God to intervene correct the political upheaval that is actually part of His purpose and plan.

Instead of asking the most important question…. Hashem give me understanding, direction and strength to do what it is we are to do during this tribulation….. we are trying to manipulate and tell Hashem YHVH about what needs fixing and how to fix it.

All through the Tanakh we see example after example of Hashem dealing with rebellious Nations by using trial and tribulation.
When a nation is sinning against some of the greatest Commandments but yet they claimed to be a Nation Under God….. how dare you try to manipulate His correction, His discipline by interjecting into a Prayer some kind of suggestion on how He should intervene and fix the problem !!

The great tribulation is not called the great tribulation because these trials and tribulations are going to be any worse than what we are seeing in the past.
No as a matter of fact all of what we have seen in the past is just a precursor to what we are going to see on a global scale instead of just a national scale.

In other words the great tribulation is called this because this is the Entire World being put through trials and tribulation in order to bring the entire world to repentance…… and not just one nation as was in the past.

So in today’s teaching I’m going to go through a very familiar example of how Hashem hands us over to our stiff-necked stubborn self-centred ways.
Because there is nothing new “Under the Sun” and we as Believers should recognise that when we see pressure, when we see difficulties, this is His way of getting our attention that there is something we need to learn and do. Baruch Hashem

THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT

But I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do there. After that, he will let you go.
Sh’mot / Exodus 3:20

Pharaoh’s adamant refusal to let the Hebrew people go, provoked Hashem’s judgement on him and Egypt with 10 devastating plagues that would ultimately break the will of Pharoah, and under the leadership of Moshe, free His people.

There was first the water turning into blood, beginning with the Nile River, and entering streams, canals and even the water jugs of Egyptian homes.
Then came the frogs, appearing in droves; in their houses, their beds, their ovens.
After this, gnats infected both animals and people, followed by dense swarms of flies, engulfing them day and night.
Then disease spread among all the livestock, killing them off, and after this, the plague of festering boils.
Hailstones then plundered the land, stripping trees bare and injuring and killing people.
Then the locusts, devouring everything green that survived the hail until only dry, barren land was left !
Then came three days of Darkness, leaving an ominous fear of what would happen next.
Finally, death swept over Egypt, killing the firstborn of every animal and every first born son, including Pharaoh’s son.

The plagues followed relentlessly, one after another, each with a growing sense of intensity that progressed from discomfort to disease to danger of darkness and ultimately to death.
But along with this came growing resistance. Lol
Most of Egyptian life was attributed to one of over 700 gods.
There were gods associated with the Nile….. animal gods….. a crop god,…. a sky god and various sun gods who influenced the weather.
(This is one of the most important issues I always raise with people who believe Moshe was asking for a literal spoken name and got it at the Burning Bush lol. He was raised Egyptian !)
Why even Pharoah himself, was said to be divine !
The plagues Hashem had poured down were not random attacks, but were strategically targeted to undermine the gods of Egypt in which they placed their trust !

Now here is the correlation to were we see prophecy from Revelation and Mattiyahu/ Matthew chapter 24.
Interestingly, Hashem does not refer to these attacks as plagues !
He actually referred to them as signs, and signs point to something !
Not only were the plagues designed to break the will of Pharoah and undermine the gods of Egypt, but they pointed to the ‘ GOD ‘ OF ISRAEL, bringing the people into deeper knowledge of Him and submission to Him the one true GOD YHVH ECHAD !

Now put this in perspective.
After seeing all of this, the people that were delivered went out to the desert for 40 years because it still was not enough to convince them.
Out of all the people delivered only a few made it to the Promised Land!!
Through all of these trials and tribulations that we are about to face, this is exactly were we are today. We are faced with the desert, and coming out of the desert, how many are going to make it ?
The purpose of this great trial is so that none perish and everybody gets it !
And yes this is including all of you self-centered Christians who believe you’re going to be raptured from this because somehow you have the righteousness and you have the right because He nailed it all to the cross.
You are in for a huge wake-up call !

Hashem will sometimes strip us of things in our lives that tend to replace Him, including our own self sufficiency !
This is not a vindictive God, nor is this a cruel God, …. but actually the opposite.
As hard as it may seem at the time, Hashem may undermine what we have become dependent upon, not to leave us bereft of confidence, but that we may find our confidence in Him !!
Hashem is LOVE and He dose not violate His character !
His wrath and judgement are always an expression of His LOVE to bring us in conformity with Him and His will for us !
Obedience….. Repentance …….daily immersing ourselves in G-ds Word!!!!

Our Prayer Heavenly Father great God ALMIGHTY ?
You are the fixed point in my life.
Whatever happens, keep me mindful of that and confident in You alone.
Thank You Adonai Amein