Sunday, April 6, 2014

Events in Egypt, one week before first Passover in 1447 BC. #passover, #egypt, #Moses, #Seder, #Sed, #SedFestival

Sunday 6 April 2014 is eight days before Passover, Monday 14 April, 2014.  At this time and during this week, back at the time of the biblical Moses, the descendants of Jacob (Israel) were slaves in Ancient Egypt.  Moses had asked Pharaoh to release themThere had already been nine plagues by this time, eight days before Passover, and there would be one more plague, the death of the firstborn of both man and beast, and then a judgment.  The story is told in the Bible's book of Exodus, and every credible evidence I can find establishes that it is accurate.  Even more so the post below of the Egyptian Army being found in the sand provides even more strong evidence that the Exodus account in the Bible is entirely accurate.

The year by several different ways of figuring was 1447 BC during the time of Thutmose III as Pharaoh and Hatshepsut who was a co-regent or a co-Pharaoh.  More about 1447 BC and the number later.

1447 BC had been an especially difficult year for the Egyptians.  There had been nine devastating plagues that began with warnings from Moses.  The plagues were: the Nile turned to blood, frogs, lice (or wormy insects), flies, boils, sickness of beasts, hail mixed with fire, locusts, and darkness that could be felt.  The crops and herds had been destroyed several times and the cattle had been sickened.

If this is 6 Nissan or the 6th of April 1447 BC, then just about a week or so ago the crops were devastated by a great plague of locusts which just stripped every green thing off the landscape and there wasn't much after the plague of Hail and Fire came from the sky and burned up all the crops.

That wasn't bad enough but this past week in 1447 BC Egypt, there was a darkness which you could feel.  It was like a light gritty black powder that just covered everything and just caused the world to be black.  Well it was in the Egyptian areas but not so much in the eastern Nile Goshen area where the Israelite slaves live.

This week was midway in preparation of the Passover and the Festival of Sed.  More about how I know this in a later post.   About 1 April, or more accurately 1 Nissan in the Jewish calendar, Moses told his people to begin preparation for the Passover by doing three things.

Firstly Moses told the people to bring a lamb into the house to be kept until Passover night.  Secondly, they were to clean the house of all leaven or yeast bacteria and to make unleavened break sufficient for seven days, just before Passover.  Thirdly, Moses, from God, had instructed his people to go their neighbors, to the people who they had served as slaves 'borrow' (KJV) to ask for gold and jewelry somewhat as a payment for the years they had served them without pay.  And the Egyptians knew from the many plagues that the Israelites were seeking to leave Egypt to hold a feast and to probably leave completely.  But the Egyptians, partly because of the plagues, and probably partly in the good feelings of preparing for the great spring lunar festival or feast, were in a generous mood and gave abundantly.

One new thing I recently discovered relating to this period is the feasts of the Egyptians, which were held for the new year and the new moons.  There is a historical reason that the Egyptians were also likely preparing for one of their great feasts at this time which was likely held at the same time as the Passover.  The reason for suspecting this is the circumstances of the death of the firstborn which occurred Passover night.

One observation: one great Egyptian feast was Heb Sed while for Israeli it is the Passover Seder.  And in keeping with the philosophy of the Exodus plagues, which were a demonstration and judgment against each of Egypt's 'gods,' for the death of the firstborn to occur on a festival of a 'god' is a double judgment.  It is a judgment against the worship of the firstborn and a judgment against the worship of another deity other that the true and living GOD.

In Egypt, as in many cultures today the firstborn is especially honored.  The firstborn being the eldest is the natural ruler of the household and in many cultures is officially given the recognition and the responsibility of overseeing the household as next in authority and responsibility after the mother and father.  The Israelite patriarch Joseph, Genesis 43:34, says: " . . .Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs (the other brothers)."  Because Benjamin was the firstborn of the main, preferred, wife Rachael.  The important point, is that it was standard Egyptian and recognized middle eastern custom of the time that the firstborn was given a porting, a serving of food and also even clothing, Genesis 45:22.

Although no direct evidence has yet been discovered, it is probable that a major Egyptian lunar festival or feast was held at the same time as the first Passover, 14 Nissan 1447 BC, or 14 April 1447 BC which was 3,460 years ago.

One way of figuring the date of 1447 BC is from Biblical dating and calculating the years of various kings.  Another way of calculating is the circumstances for Passover in various years.  In 1447 BC there was a remarkable lunar eclipse of the moon on Passover night, meaning that there would normally be a full, or near full moon at Passover but during the brief eclipse period the moonlight would instead shift to total darkness.

A curious aside for the numerologists, 1447 is a prime number and is also the number dealing with the exact astronomical relationship of the earth and the moon as the earth precesses or wobbles.  And the 1447 is associated with 49 to find the dates and the number 49 is dominant in Daniel and Revelation end times interpretation.  Amazing how God brings this all together.

More about the 1447 timing, the Sed and Seder feasts in Ancient Egypt, and the death of the firstborn in an upcoming blog.

Jonathan Novak   All rights reserved,  Copyright 2014

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