WEBVTT - #971 - Exodus 10-11 – The Last Plagues

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio The Bible Study Podcast, Episode nine hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>seventy one. Today, The Bible Study Podcast continues the study

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<v Speaker 1>of the Book of Exodus with chapter ten. Welcome to

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<v Speaker 1>the Bible Study Podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We're

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<v Speaker 1>going to continue on with more plagues, including some real

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<v Speaker 1>famous ones. But first a word from this sponsor. I say,

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<v Speaker 1>we're continuing on with more plagues. We start with the

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<v Speaker 1>plague of locusts, which is really just your classic biblical

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<v Speaker 1>wrath of God kind of plague. Then the Lord said

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<v Speaker 1>to Moses, go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his

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<v Speaker 1>heart and the heart of his officials, so that I

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<v Speaker 1>may perform these signs of mine among them, that you

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<v Speaker 1>may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly

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<v Speaker 1>with the Egyptians, and how I perform my signs among them,

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<v Speaker 1>and that you may know that I am the Lord.

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<v Speaker 1>So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him,

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<v Speaker 1>this is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says.

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<v Speaker 1>How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me

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<v Speaker 1>let my people go so that they may worship me.

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<v Speaker 1>If you refuse to let them go, I will bring

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<v Speaker 1>locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face

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<v Speaker 1>of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They

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<v Speaker 1>will devour what little you have left after the hail,

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<v Speaker 1>including every tree that is growing in your fields. They

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<v Speaker 1>will fill your houses and those of all your officials

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<v Speaker 1>and all the Egyptians, something neither your parents nor your

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<v Speaker 1>ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in

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<v Speaker 1>this land till now. Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

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<v Speaker 1>Pharaoh's officials said to him, how long will this man

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<v Speaker 1>be a snare to us? Let the people go so

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<v Speaker 1>that they may worship the Lord their god. Do you

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<v Speaker 1>not realize that Egypt is ruined? Then Moses and Aaron

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<v Speaker 1>were brought back to Pharaoh. Go worship the Lord, your god,

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<v Speaker 1>he said, But tell me who will be going. Moses answered,

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<v Speaker 1>we will go with our young and our old, with

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<v Speaker 1>our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds,

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<v Speaker 1>because we are to celebrate a festival to the Lord.

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<v Speaker 1>Pharaoh said, the Lord be with you. If I let

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<v Speaker 1>you go along with your women and children, clearly you

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<v Speaker 1>are bent unevil. No, have only the men go and

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<v Speaker 1>worship the Lord, since that's what you have been asking

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<v Speaker 1>for then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh's presence,

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<v Speaker 1>and the Lord said to Moses, stretch out your hand

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<v Speaker 1>over Egypt, so that locusts swarm over the land and

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<v Speaker 1>devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.

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<v Speaker 1>So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the

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<v Speaker 1>Lord made an east wind blow across the land all

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<v Speaker 1>that day and all that night. By morning, the wind

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<v Speaker 1>had brought the locusts. They invaded all Egypt and settled

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<v Speaker 1>down in every area of the country in great numbers.

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<v Speaker 1>Never before have there been such a plague of locusts,

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<v Speaker 1>nor will there ever be again. They covered all the

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<v Speaker 1>ground until it was black. They devoured all that was

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<v Speaker 1>left after the hail, everything growing in the fields, and

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<v Speaker 1>the fruit on the tree, and the fruit on the trees.

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<v Speaker 1>Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the

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<v Speaker 1>land of Egypt. Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said,

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<v Speaker 1>I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.

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<v Speaker 1>Now forgive my sin once more, and pray to the

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<v Speaker 1>Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.

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<v Speaker 1>Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, and the

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<v Speaker 1>Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind,

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<v Speaker 1>which caught up the locusts and carried them into the

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<v Speaker 1>Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt,

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<v Speaker 1>but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not

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<v Speaker 1>let the Israelites go. I have to feel like, of

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<v Speaker 1>all the plagues, this is the one that sounds most

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<v Speaker 1>like a biblical plague, although I don't know why we

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<v Speaker 1>pick it out for that, But basically, at this point,

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<v Speaker 1>there's a couple things that have changed. One of the

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<v Speaker 1>things that has changed is the officials are now arguing

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<v Speaker 1>with Pharaoh that he needs to let people go, that

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<v Speaker 1>Egypt is in ruin because of these plagues, and it

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<v Speaker 1>is time. And so Pharaoh starts to bargain more, and

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<v Speaker 1>he is looking for a solution that is acceptable. He's

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<v Speaker 1>looking to negotiate. The last time he bargained it was

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<v Speaker 1>you can't go far, or this time it's only the men,

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<v Speaker 1>not the women and the children. And so when Moses

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<v Speaker 1>says no, it has to be all of us, they

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<v Speaker 1>throw him out and again a plague comes. Now at

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<v Speaker 1>this point, if you're Pharaoh, or if you're the officials,

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<v Speaker 1>you should have known that this would happen. We haven't

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<v Speaker 1>had any of this. Where Moses says tomorrow there'll be

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<v Speaker 1>a plague, well, but the next day, well, not the

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<v Speaker 1>next day, but the day after. Every time Moses says

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<v Speaker 1>there's going to be a plague, here's what it's going

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<v Speaker 1>to be. It has happened. And so Pharaoh and the

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<v Speaker 1>officials could have made the decision before the locusts came,

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<v Speaker 1>that they didn't want their crops beaten by locus. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>they should have known it was coming. They were told

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<v Speaker 1>it was coming. God has been true to God's word.

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<v Speaker 1>And so the locusts come and they eat everything, and

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<v Speaker 1>again Pharaoh has a change of heart, only up until

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<v Speaker 1>the plague disappears. Again, change is hard, and giving up

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<v Speaker 1>power is hard, and Pharaoh isn't there yet the plague

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<v Speaker 1>of darkness. Then the Lord said to Moses, stretch out

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<v Speaker 1>your hand towards the sky, so that darkness spreads over Egypt,

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<v Speaker 1>darkness that can be felt. So Moses stretched out his

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<v Speaker 1>hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt

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<v Speaker 1>for three days. No one could see any one else

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<v Speaker 1>or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites

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<v Speaker 1>had light in the places where they lived. Then Pharaoh

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<v Speaker 1>summoned Moses and said, go worship the Lord. Even your

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<v Speaker 1>women and children may go with you, only leave your

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<v Speaker 1>flocks and herds behind. But Moses said, you must allow

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<v Speaker 1>us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to

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<v Speaker 1>the Lord our God. Our livestock too must go with us.

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<v Speaker 1>Not a hoof is to be left behind. We have

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<v Speaker 1>to use some of them in worshiping the Lord, our God.

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<v Speaker 1>And until we get there, we will not know what

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<v Speaker 1>we are to use to worship the Lord. But the

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<v Speaker 1>Lord heartened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to

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<v Speaker 1>let them go. Pharaoh said to Moses, get out of

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<v Speaker 1>my sight. Make sure you do not appear before me again.

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<v Speaker 1>The day you see my face, you will die, just

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<v Speaker 1>as you say. Moses replied, I will never appear before

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<v Speaker 1>you again again. Something changed? Did you notice this time?

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<v Speaker 1>There was no warning. There was no Moses appearing before

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<v Speaker 1>Pharaoh and saying, if you don't let us go, there'll

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<v Speaker 1>be a plague of darkness. So that's a change. There's

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<v Speaker 1>this plague of darkness for three days only in the

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<v Speaker 1>land of Egypt, not in the land of Goshen, which

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<v Speaker 1>is that sub region of Egypt where the Israelites live,

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<v Speaker 1>and Pharaoh goes further. Okay, you can take your women

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<v Speaker 1>and children, but not your flocks. Now I have to wonder,

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<v Speaker 1>was there a point at which Pharaoh could have said yes,

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<v Speaker 1>and the people would have gone, and they would have

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<v Speaker 1>worshiped God and then had to come back because that's

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<v Speaker 1>what they told Pharaoh they would do. Did the Lord

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<v Speaker 1>just know that Pharaoh would never say yes up until

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<v Speaker 1>he said yes and now go completely. Probably, But at

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<v Speaker 1>this point Pharaoh's done. He doesn't ever want to hear

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<v Speaker 1>from Moses again. If you appear before us again, you're

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<v Speaker 1>going to die. Pharaoh, as far as he knows, is

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<v Speaker 1>done negotiating, and he's done with these problematic Israelites. But

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<v Speaker 1>there's another plague, the Plague of the Firstborn, chapter eleven. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>the Lord had said to Moses, I will bring one

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<v Speaker 1>more plague on Pharaoh and onto Egypt. After that he

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<v Speaker 1>will let you go from here, and when he does,

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<v Speaker 1>he will drive you out completely. Tell the people that

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<v Speaker 1>men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for

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<v Speaker 1>articles of silver and gold. The Lord made the Egyptians

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<v Speaker 1>favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly

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<v Speaker 1>regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh's officials and by the people.

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<v Speaker 1>So Moses said, this is what the Lord says about midnight.

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<v Speaker 1>I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt

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<v Speaker 1>will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on

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<v Speaker 1>the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave

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<v Speaker 1>who is at her handmill, and all the first born

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<v Speaker 1>of the cattle as well. There will be a loud

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<v Speaker 1>wailing throughout Egypt, worse than there has ever been or

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<v Speaker 1>ever will be again. But among the Israelites, not a

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<v Speaker 1>dog will bark at any person or animal. Then you

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<v Speaker 1>will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt

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<v Speaker 1>and Israel. All these officials of yours will come to me,

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<v Speaker 1>bowing down before me and saying, go you and all

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<v Speaker 1>your people who follow you. After that I will leave.

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<v Speaker 1>Then Moses hot with anger left Pharaoh. The Lord said

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<v Speaker 1>to Moses, Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you, so

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<v Speaker 1>that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt. Moses and

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<v Speaker 1>Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh. But the Lord

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<v Speaker 1>hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites

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<v Speaker 1>go from his country. So this is the last time

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<v Speaker 1>that Moses ses Pharaoh, and before he leaves, he tells

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<v Speaker 1>him of this last plague, the worst of all these plagues,

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<v Speaker 1>because people will die, the plague of the firstborn, and

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<v Speaker 1>this is their last conversation. And next week we're going

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<v Speaker 1>to hear about the preparation for that, and the preparation

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<v Speaker 1>for that is Passover, the very first passover, So come

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<v Speaker 1>back for that. But with that, we're going to end

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<v Speaker 1>this episode of the Bible Study Podcast. If you have

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<v Speaker 1>any questions, send an email to Chris two x at

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<v Speaker 1>gmail dot com, or better yet, leave a comment on

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<v Speaker 1>this episode at the Bible Study podcast dot com. And

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<v Speaker 1>as always, thanks so much for listening. I want to

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<v Speaker 1>take just a second to thank the team at Life

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<v Speaker 1>Audio for their partnership with us on this podcast. If

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<v Speaker 1>you go to life audio dot com, you'll find dozens

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