I invite you to turn in the Scriptures this morning to the second book of the Bible, Exodus, as we come to chapter 11 this morning. Exodus chapter 11. Let's give our attention this morning to the Word of the Lord. This is Exodus chapter 11, God's holy and inspired inerrant word. The Lord said to Moses, yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward, he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people that they ask every man his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor for silver and gold jewelry. And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people. So Moses said, Thus says the Lord about midnight, I will go out in the midst of Egypt and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the hand mill and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been nor ever will be again. But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man beast that you may know that the lord makes a distinction between egypt and israel and all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me saying get out you and all the people who follow you and after that i will go out and he went out from pharaoh in hot anger then the lord said to moses pharaoh will not listen to you that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of egypt moses and aaron did all these things before pharaoh and the lord hardened pharaoh's heart and he did not let the people of israel go out of his land may the lord bless the hearing of his word in matthew chapter 24 the disciples were curious about the second coming of our lord jesus christ and they asked him they asked him what that would be like and what the end of the age would be like and that day would be like. They wanted to understand this. And Jesus gave a detailed description, an explanation that he himself would return and that he would come on the clouds of heaven in great judgment. He said that one of the great purposes of the second coming would be to make a distinction in the earth. One of the great purposes of the second coming would be to make a real separation in the earth, that the separation would finally and completely happen. He said this in Matthew 24, that two men will be in the field, one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. A reference, actually, which is strikingly similar to Exodus 11. One will be taken and the other left. In the next words, He called upon his disciples to watch and be ready. And then he gave a parable. At midnight, a cry was heard. At midnight, a cry was heard. And then the great separation began. I raise this idea of separation and distinction and readiness because that's been the focus of the book of Exodus. And you'll notice that becomes the central focus and idea and concept the Lord is making Israel to understand just before he comes to Egypt in judgment. We have come to the end here of this long period of time, 430 years there. We've come to the end. We're right before the end as they are about to witness their ultimate and final deliverance out of the land of Egypt. And Moses tells them, the Lord here tells Moses, it's at hand. We're ready. It's time. And I want you to be ready for this. I want you to understand this. Just like Abraham, that same blessing of the covenant of grace is coming out, that he tells his friends what is going to come to pass. He wants his friends to understand what is going to come to pass. And as we study this, it's a helpful passage for us to think about whether we are ready, whether we're watching for the second coming. When we will ultimately and finally be brought out of Egypt. Ultimately and finally taken to the promised land. I want you to think about this this morning with the question, are you ready? Are you watching? And as Jesus was constantly asking the question and saying to people of his day, you can discern the weather, but how is it that you cannot discern the sign of the times? Are we discerning the sign of the times? Are we looking at what's happening and understanding it's time? This was the constant teaching of the apostles. The day is at hand. Do you believe and live and know that day is at hand? This passage leads us to these questions this morning as we see how the Lord declared to Moses something we have not seen yet in our study of Exodus. He's coming personally now. He's coming personally now. And what we have before us, if you are taking notes, is fairly simple this morning. It is God's calling for Israel to prepare. It is God's warning for Pharaoh of the coming judgment. And it is his comfort to Israel of their escape. A calling to prepare the coming in judgment and the comfort for their escape, of their escape. We're all set up for this. Last week, we looked at the darkness. We looked at the plague of darkness, the ninth plague of darkness. Strategically, he unleashed darkness on them. And the day of the Lord all over the Scriptures, the day of the coming of the Lord is associated with thick darkness and clouds. It's a day of darkness. It's a day of gloom. This is all set in that framework of darkness and judgment right now. That's where we are in the whole course of this thing. And we left off in verses last time, you'll notice there in verses 28 and 29 of chapter 10, of a discussion that was remarkably fascinating of Pharaoh and Moses and the ability to look on faces. Really interesting. He gave a solemn warning to Moses last time, remember? You get away from me, Moses. Take heed that you never look on my face again. Now remember, he's in the midst of the darkness. The plague had not ended yet. Don't you ever look on my face again. If you do, you're dead. It was a remarkable warning because not only when we stand back and look at the foolishness of it, his entire kingdom has been toppled. He is in darkness at the moment. I believe, it's not explicitly said, but I believe Moses' face was shining. We see this whole story throughout when Moses would come down from God's presence. The face was shining and Paul used that to contrast Moses' face of a glory that was fading and Christ whose face in the light of the face of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the glory of that face, we have light. You don't ever look on my face again, Moses. He took the prerogative that only belonged to God because remember God would later tell Moses no one can see my face and live and I've got to hide you Moses in the cleft of the rock well here we are his kingdom was doomed it was a decisive moment in the plagues because Pharaoh essentially terminated all correspondence at this point he ended it himself uh he gave himself over we see the path ephesians says that they have given themselves over in their blindness you saw it right here not only had god been turning over pharaoh turned over and now in what follows we don't have a different scene we have an extension of this scene. Chapter 11 is an extension of this last prophetic speech before Pharaoh once he self-reprobated, if you will, turned himself over. Moses walks away in verse 8 of our chapter. He had not walked away from the plague of darkness yet. You'll notice decisively, it is verse 8, moses makes his final break in hot anger he's done hot wrath so what follows in chapter 11 is the final judgment proclamation in other words his doom is now sealed and it's now been revealed these are the last days for pharaoh these are the last days for the kingdom of egypt in its present form, in its form, before it would be judged and sunk into the Red Sea. What I love about chapter 11, what I had to make a decision about in the study of chapter 11, is did all of this discussion that now happens in chapter 11 happen in the hearing of Pharaoh? And I believe so. I believe for the first time he heard the Lord's voice. not through Moses but he heard it uh he is in darkness and notice the only break in verse 8 is when Moses walks out as soon as Pharaoh says I better never see you again what's the next thing that happens in chapter 11 this is where chapter breaks aren't always so helpful then the Lord said right then yet one more blow it's a different word for plague than has been commonly used this is the great blow this is the final great blow one more deep blow I will bring upon Pharaoh you can imagine him in the darkness hearing that one more big blow I will give Pharaoh and Egypt afterward Lord, he will let you go from here and he's not just going to let you go. He's driving you out. He is driving you out. Speak now, Moses, in the hearing of the people and let every man ask from his neighbor and woman from her neighbor articles of silver and articles of gold. Go get the jewelry from them. What's the Lord doing here? It's a wonderful passage. And the first thing that it greatly encourages us, the way that it encourages us, is that there is an end to all of this. God's not letting things go on forever. Now, maybe that seems so evident, right? But we don't live like that. we don't think like that and you really do see the intensity here in the hardness of heart this has been 400 years of intense persecution but it had run its course what do i mean i um we've tried to steadily emphasize in our study of exodus that societies move in a cycle Societies move in a cycle of iniquity. God had said that to Abraham, that there would be a cycle that runs its course. He said the cycle or the iniquity of the Amorites must be complete before I bring them back into the land. And then he would execute judgment on them once that cycle was complete. Same is true here. God had said to Abraham, in the fourth generation, your descendants will come back here for the sins of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. Canaan's has not filled up its cup yet in sin. Well, now Egypt has. I had to quote something that moved me as I was studying and reflecting on a psalm. And the comment was by Calvin in Psalm 128. I want you to listen to what he said in his day. 1545, roughly, probably written. It is not wonderful to find in the present day the state of the world so troubled and confused as it actually is. Justice is put to flight in cities. The husband and wife mutually accusing each other. Fathers and mothers complaining of their children. In short, all bewailing their own condition. For how few are to be found in their life, in their vocation, who turn to God and who, being rather inflated with arrogance, do not wickedly exalt themselves. God, then, justly renders this sad reward to ungrateful men when he is defrauded of his honor. When was that written? 15 what? nothing's new we're all panicked right now nothing's new but societies run a course every society has rome ran its course it reached its full cup of iniquity measure of iniquity and it was judged all nations run a course so i know nation has ever remained on top since the history of the world because there's one kingdom that can't be toppled one jesus spoke a lot about this tyre and sidon you've run your course woe to you the days are evil new testament writers said and jesus in the midst of all this said i need you to discern the time look at the signs of the time now why do i raise this the lord just told israel it's time last plague has come look at how things are going look at how it is the land is wrecked i've judged it listen we think of judgment as as coming in the future judgment's happening now judgment's happen now that's romans 1 things are in shambles look at the state of darkness over the land of egypt they're in darkness look how great that darkness is judgment is at hand and they've crushed you they've crushed you and your children can't you see you're crushed so what is the lord's message right before the end moses here's what i i i really was uh was so encouraged by exodus 11 you tell them it's time to come out and go get their jewelry why would god say that well it may seem somewhat strange to us but it's the thing that God promised to Abraham. After they're afflicted 400 years, I'm judging that nation and they're going to come out with great possessions. It's time. Go get the possessions. That is the most exciting generation to live, by the way. What is the most exciting generation to live? The ones right before the end. look what they get to see be prepared get up everything i promised to abraham in the covenant of grace it's now it's now tell him right now he's saying this in the hearing of pharaoh he's plundering your kingdom pharaoh i don't want to get ahead of myself but in the 10th plague uh you know in in the next chapter in the chapter of the passover god tells them to celebrate the feast of unleavened bread and you know how he told them to celebrate the feast of unleavened bread with a belt on their waist with sandals on their feet and with staff in their hand and you eat it in haste who wants to eat a meal like that we sit down and we're comfortable you have your hand your staff out you have your belt on you have your sandals on we're going right now what an exciting moment in israel's history you're being ushered out of egypt forever you'll never see them again wake up you're leaving time you're leaving to which i say i wonder how many of us are really ready are you ready to go could you leave today could you walk away from everything today could you walk away from your homes and your things and your stuff your friends if this were the day i had um someone say just to be open the other day pastor you're preaching sermons that are really convicting. They're moving. The people afterwards seem to say, good sermon today, good sermon today, good sermon. This person said, but I wonder, is it affecting change? Are they embracing? Some seem to have no problem missing worship. That for me is kind of the gauge. I'm never happy with my own readiness, okay? I'm never happy with my own preparedness. But I do have the question, are we hearing? Why is God bringing them out? Well, we've been saying it the whole time. I'm bringing them out. The English word we usually translate serve, but it means to worship. I'm bringing them out to worship me. You're being brought out of Egypt to worship. There's something wrong if there's no priority in that. We might still love Egyptian life too much. The Lord just said, I have everything for you. I'm going to plunder. I'm taking everything from them and giving it to you anyway. The new heavens and the new earth, everything's yours. in christ but it's time to get up and be ready he says it's time can't you see what i'm doing to the world can't you see i'm plundering the nations can't you see the judgments ripe and do can't you see it's long overdue here's something to consider they had been there 400 years and they were hated they stunk before the Egyptians, remember chapter 1? The Egyptians said, they said, you made us to stink. And look at the strange reversal right before the end. They have great favor now in the land of Egypt and Moses is the man. Yeah. I have a theory that actually what will just precede the final judgment is great respect and fear that will come again for God's people. when society drinks the full cup of the measure of its sorrows, and they've tried every other pathway other than Jesus Christ, and they've hit marriage and tried out all of that, and society and her children, like Calvin said, are an absolute misery. When everything is in shamble, the land is a mess, when lives are destroyed, when the darkness is that great, what happens? One last moment of real grace is shown. And he gives grace to his people, notice that, in the sight of the Egyptians. And the name of Jesus is again honored greatly. What we have in verse 4 is the final outcome for Egypt and Pharaoh, the coming judgment that is announced. If you look at verse 4, So Moses said, Thus says the Lord, About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt. And every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die. From the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on the throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle, they shall die. Moses speaks, but did you notice the difference there in the way that Moses spoke for the first time? God speaks in the first person. I could stand up today and say, the Lord Jesus Christ is coming. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming. Can you imagine me saying today, at midnight, I'm coming and I'm striking down all the firstborn. And that's the Lord's voice. For the first time, we have through Moses, God speaking in the first person this way. I'm going out. I'm coming personally, Moses. Pharaoh, I'm coming personally to you, my friend. And at midnight, a cry will be heard. Pharaoh controlled life. There were gods in Egypt that they believed controlled the afterlife. And everyone knows how obsessed Egyptians were with death and embalming and the afterlife. I mean, we're still finding mummies to this day. You know the history of tomb raiding. Just watch one of those networks. They talk about it all the time of what they're pulling out over there. They're always pulling mummies that were well-preserved and bodies out of these pyramids and chambers. It was believed that if the body was untouched, it would again be preserved in the underworld. Osiris was the god of the underworld who appeared as a green-skinned man in the form of a mummified pharaoh. In the underworld, Osiris sits on a great throne, they believed, where he's praised by the souls of the just. those who pass the tests of the underworld would be worthy to enter the blessed land. There was Anubis. He was the assistant of Osiris. He guided the embalming process and guided the dead to the afterlife. How could you enter? Well, that was based on your heart. That's why there's been so much emphasis in the heart here. This was big in Egyptian theology, if you will. The heart determined everything. If it wasn't balanced, if it was heavy, which is the word the Lord's been choosing the whole time, it would be eaten by Ammit, the devourer of the dead. And the deceased would go no further. They would suffer forever in the underworld. You know what Anubis was? Anubis was the one that determined the afterlife. He was a dog. I wish I'd have captured that today for you. I really messed up. It's an amazing picture. Just type it in on Google. He was a dog. The Lord picks that up. Did you see that? There's not even going to be a dog that growls against my people. Verse 6. Then shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. Now, that is devastating because it was the firstborn he was going to go strike. Every firstborn son from the son of Pharaoh, which is the real big emphasis here, the son of Pharaoh, to the little no-named woman behind the hand mill, the cry throughout Egypt would be never anything like they've ever heard before. Wails of anguish. Their sons are dead. God would do this to Pharaoh's son. The one who sat on the throne as the successor to become the son of Ra. You know the effect of this. In communities when somebody loses a child, it is a community event. Just one. It's an awful thing. The son of Pharaoh is going to be struck. People at this point love to assault our God. How could He be so cruel how could He do that? How many babies have been thrown in chapter 1 into the river? How much cruel persecution did they inflict on His people for years? How many body parts have been sold in our country by a nation that slaughters hundreds of thousands? Oh, His judgment's just. His judgment's just. It's coming. Can't you see it? That is not normal behavior. That is fallen behavior of a heart that has unending evil in it, the human heart, where the reprobate heart has now dominated society and God has let it go. And he says at midnight a cry is coming. We read later, Pharaoh arose at midnight and there was not a house in which there was not one dead. The angel of death came and struck and cries and wails had never been louder. That God is attention. Jesus used this, I believe, when he told the parable of the ten virgins and he told about the separation when He said at midnight a cry was heard and the cry rang out, here's the bridegroom. And the separation began. Some went out. For others, the door was shut. Death overcame Egypt. The final end to all rebellion against God is death. Well, the very thing that Genesis 3 said would happen. Now in the midst of this, God wanted to make one more thing very clear. When I think that their God of the underworld was a dog who with his teeth would usher you into death, the Lord has another word for his people that he wanted Pharaoh to hear. As for my people, here's what will happen to them. Against none of the children of Israel shall a dog growl. No dog holds any power over my people. And I'm going to let everyone know that difference between Egypt and my people. My goal at the end, says the Lord, will be to show the difference so plainly, so brilliantly, so splendidly, so powerfully. I want everyone to know literally in the Hebrew, there's a space between. I was asked the other day by someone whether God is making a separation right now. He's dividing right now. A separation is needed. There are those who remain in the darkness and there are those in the light. And those in the light can't believe how great the darkness is. But the end will have the separation plainly in view before all. And the Lord encourages us with that this morning. The Lord helps us to encourage us in the midst of all of this in the midst of all of the fears that we may have, think of the whole message of the Bible when it comes to the second coming. We ought also, 2 Thessalonians 1, we ought also to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more. That's the confidence we should have. And the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches, We boast about your perseverance and faith and all the persecutions and trials that you are enduring. I believe in trial God's going to do that for all of you. And all this is evidence that God's judgment is right. And as a result, you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are suffering. God is just. He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven. He himself. In blazing fire with his powerful angels, he will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on that day when he comes to be, listen to this, glorified in his holy people. and to be marveled at by all of those who have believed. It's not going to be a day of dread for us. We're going to marvel. There is our King. I couldn't get away this week from Belgic 37. It describes the separation so beautifully. Therefore, the consideration of this judgment is terrible and dreadful to the wicked and ungodly. but most desirable and comfortable to the righteous and the elect. Because then their full deliverance shall be perfected and they shall receive the fruits of their labor and the trouble which they've borne. Their innocence shall be made known to all. There it is. They got it. Their innocence shall be made known to all. And they shall see the terrible vengeance God will execute on the wicked who most cruelly persecuted, oppressed, and tormented them in this world and who shall be convicted by the testimony of their own consciences. And being immortal shall be tormented in the everlasting fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels. But on the contrary, the faithful and the elect shall be crowned with glory and honor. And the Son of God will confess their names. What a beautiful statement. Before God his Father and his elect angels, all tears shall be wiped from their eyes. And their cause, think about this, their cause, which is now condemned by many judges and magistrates as heretical and impious, will then be known to be the cause of the Son of God. Right then and there, it'll all be really clear for everyone whose cause we really had. Therefore, we expect that great day with a most ardent desire to the end that we may fully enjoy the promises of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. I know that the truth of election has made so many people nervous for so long. That is the most comforting teaching in this whole thing. That the Lord does elect and that the Lord will preserve them all the way to the end. You deserve to die. I deserve to die in judgment. You say, well, how are we escaping? One reason. Chapter 12. The Passover. What is the Passover? This is next time, the most important chapter, I think, as we studied so far. I want you, Moses, to take the blood of a perfect lamb and I want you to put it on all the doorposts of the house of my people. Sprinkle it all on there so that when the angel of death comes, he'll pass right over. The ultimate difference is the blood of the lamb. It was the proclaiming of the blood of God's Son, His firstborn Son. You see, He didn't just say, I'm going to let their sins go. He punished it in His Son. He is our Passover, and Paul says, fulfills all of these shadows. God did all of that because He loved you. And what sort of hope does that give you and your children? You see, the Egyptians had no covering. The Lord makes a difference that all who come by faith and believe in Jesus Christ, the angel of death cannot touch. Because as Peter says, we've been redeemed with the precious blood of the Lamb as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory so that your faith and your hope are in God. I close with this question. What should you do then knowing that He's coming soon and done all this for you? I want you to ask today, am I ready? Am I standing up? Is my belt on? Are my shoes on? You know what I mean. God says, wake up. It's time. It's time. There's a reason He is doing all of this. Look at the signs of the times. Look at what's going on. That's not coincidental. Be wise. See Him working. Look up. Your redemption draws nigh. Because you see, it's high time to wake up out of sleep for now our salvation is near than when we first believe. The night is far spent. The day is at hand. you should cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Christ will soon be here. The signs of the times tell you that. And soon, all who have him will be taken to glory. Watch, therefore, and be ready. Watch and be ready. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for encouraging us with these words and to realize what is shortly to come to pass, that you speak to us as true friends and that we believe that you will work powerfully in the lives of your people to be watching, to be awake, to be fervent in your worship, that it would greatly affect them to love you and to know who they are and to live as those who belong to the light. Prepare all of the saints here in the Escondido URC as you fed them today with encouraging words. And we know you are a just God and that your judgment is just. We look at what's going on and it's hard for us even to take, but then we're reminded of our own sins. And what was needed was the precious blood of the Lamb to cover us so that we would never have to face this. So in that joy and in that confidence and in that peace, we thank you today and ask that we would love to come tonight and worship You in spirit and in truth as we look and hasten for the coming day of God. In Jesus' name, amen.