Can you imagine seeing fields of dead cows, horses, donkeys, camels, oxen and sheep in the fields where they were usually grazing? What do you do with all the massive carcasses strewn everywhere? The rotting meat must have stunk. Perhaps, vultures, various scavenger animals, maggots and flies were now being seen in great numbers.
“Then, the Lord appointed a set time, saying, ‘Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.’ So, the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. Then, Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.” Exodus 9:5-7
The plague began at the set time that God said it would happen. The plague only struck the livestock of the Egyptians. In God’s economy, the Israelites were the most favored nation.
The King of Egypt saw the destruction. He had no weapons or technology to fight against God. Even so, he refused to humble himself before the Lord.
“So, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.’ Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses. Exodus 9:8-12
The miracle of the boils or sores is repeated on the kingdom of the “beast” in the end times before the Lord returns. Revelation 16:2, 11, “So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” “They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.”
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: let My people go, that they may serve Me, for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. Now, if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My Name may be declared in all the earth.” Exodus 9:13-16
God could have removed Pharaoh from the land of the living instantaneously but He allowed him to live. The Pharaoh wanted to be the star of the show. However, each time he defied the Lord, his fame lessened and the Lord’s glory grew greater.
Years later, in Joshua 2:9-10, Rahab told two Hebrew men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt...” Rahab’s city of Jericho was 447 miles (720 kilometers) from Pharaoh’s city of Pi-Ramesses. In an age without phones, internet, planes, trains or cars that was a very long distance... a six-day walk.
“As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. Therefore, send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.’ He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. But he who did not regard the Word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field. Then, the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.’ And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.” Exodus 9:17-26
What a strange appearance! Fire and ice together! And then, there was the loud booms of thunder. Fire was darting across the ground. People and animals died. Herbs were destroyed. Trees were broken. The Egyptians had never seen or heard anything like it! On top of all this, the slaves, who lived in the slums, enjoyed good weather that day.
“And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, ‘I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thunder and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.’ So, Moses said to him, ‘As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.’ Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops. So, Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. So, the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses. Exodus 9:27-35
Pharaoh confessed, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.” He asked Moses to pray to the Lord. He promised, “I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
Did he keep his word? No. Like a gambler who doesn’t know when to stop, as long as Pharaoh had resources (the barley and flax had not been destroyed), he was going to keep placing bets against God.
Antichrist-type kings are opportunities for God to gather all those who have hardened their hearts against Him into one place and then, humble them. God repeats the miracle of hail and fire on the kingdom of the antichrist in the last days. In Revelation 8:7, He sends down hail and fire to burn up a third of the trees. Then, in Revelation 16:21, He sends great hail. Each hailstone weighs about 110 pounds. The God haters don’t repent. They blaspheme Him.
“Now the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.’ So, Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: how long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?’” Exodus 10:1-7
Moses and Aaron asked the King of Egypt how long he would refuse to humble himself before the Lord. His servants asked him, “Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” Like family members of an alcoholic, they tried to get him to change. He was destroying his life and theirs.
“So, Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, ‘Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are the ones that are going?’ And Moses said, ‘We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.’ Then, he said to them, ‘The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.’ And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.” Exodus 10:8-11
Pharaoh suggested a compromise with Moses. The men could go but women and children must stay behind. However, he was not in a position to dictate the terms of his surrender.
“Then, the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.’ So, Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So, there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.” Exodus 10:12-15
The land was darkened with locusts. Locusts are short-horned grasshoppers. They ate the herbs and fruits that the hail left behind.
“Then, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Now, therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.’” Exodus 10:16-17
The Pharaoh confessed to Moses and Aaron that he sinned against the Lord. He asked them to forgive his sin. He asked Moses to pray to the Lord his God that God would take away the death.
“So, he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.” Exodus 10:18-20
Moses prayed! Pharaoh betrayed!
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.’ So, Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” Exodus 10:21-23
For three days God placed thick darkness over the land of Egypt, but God’s people still had light. Once, while living in San Francisco, I experienced darkened days due to fires burning in the nearby mountains. It was very eerie! The light that we did have was a very dark hue of orange. I remember wanting that experience to end quickly, but it lasted three days.
“Then, Pharaoh called to Moses and said, ‘Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you.’ But Moses said, ‘You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.’” Exodus 10:24-26
Pharaoh still wanted to dictate the conditions of his surrender. How often do we do that with God? We act like we are in a position to tell God what part of ourselves that we will surrender to God when He is in a position to cast us into everlasting hell.
Pharoah told Moses that the Israelites could take their children with them but needed to leave their livestock behind. Moses responded, “Not a hoof shall be left behind.” He stood up to the bully in the Name of the Lord. Good for him.
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. Then, Pharaoh said to him, ‘Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day, you see my face you shall die!’ So, Moses said, ‘You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.’” Exodus 10:27-29
The Pharaoh demanded that Moses leave and threatened to kill him. Moses no longer feared him. In fact, Moses and Pharaoh will meet again in chapters 11-12 of Exodus. The Pharaoh will not kill Moses. He will let the Hebrew slaves go, and they will plunder the wealth of Egypt.
When I served the Lord in China, I heard stories about Mao Zedong. Some of my students told me about the interrogations they experienced. One student told me how when he was in elementary school, “the Party” sent an interrogator to their classroom. The students were asked to tattle on any classmate that was not loyal to the party. Then, he waited. One time, they sat silently so long that some children began to wet themselves. They could not hold it any longer. The man was determined to extract a confession from them, but no one confessed. Another student told me how his father was a surgeon. Red Guard members wrapped his father’s fingers in piano wire and tied the other ends to a ceiling fan and turned the fan on, ripping his fingers to pieces. His brother refused to praise Mao Zedong so they stuck him in the buttocks multiple times with a pitch fork. Another student told me how they learned to tell lies skillfully to protect themselves and their loved ones.
I also heard positive testimonies connected to Mao Zedong. He wanted everyone in China to be literate so they could read his little red book. So, he promoted a successful literacy movement. He wanted everyone to hear his political speeches so he placed radios in villages with public address systems all across China. These radios could receive signals from faraway. He also wanted better roads so that his officials could oversee the country more easily.
Mao Zedong once boasted that he would cut out the tongue of God. Well, his three great leaps forward helped God to reach more people. Christians beam the Gospel into China via radio waves. We move millions of Bibles to people all over China on the roads he built. We meet people who can read and read well. Praise the Lord!
Bruce Lee was famous for using an attacker’s energy to defeat him. Jeet Kune Do (截拳道) focuses on maximizing efficiency by not opposing force with force, but rather by redirecting it. Lee used his attacker’s energy to move him off-balance. He used his attackers forward momentum as an opportunity to attack him. He studied the mechanics of Judo to understand how to throw and manipulate balance efficiently. He used footwork movements to manage distance, allowing him to hit an attacker while remaining safe.
Bruce Lee was a master at using his opponent’s energy against him. His skills were amazing to watch. However, God is even greater at this art than Bruce Lee. In the Book of Exodus, God used a humble 80-year-old man to chop a proud king down to nothing inch by inch. In this way, God let the world know that He alone is God, and Pharoah was not. God will do even greater miracles in the days ahead when another “Pharaoh” rises up and assumes that he is greater than God.
The miracle of the boils or sores is repeated on the kingdom of the “beast” in the end times before the Lord returns. Revelation 16:2, 11, “So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” “They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.”
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: let My people go, that they may serve Me, for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. Now, if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My Name may be declared in all the earth.” Exodus 9:13-16
God could have removed Pharaoh from the land of the living instantaneously but He allowed him to live. The Pharaoh wanted to be the star of the show. However, each time he defied the Lord, his fame lessened and the Lord’s glory grew greater.
Years later, in Joshua 2:9-10, Rahab told two Hebrew men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt...” Rahab’s city of Jericho was 447 miles (720 kilometers) from Pharaoh’s city of Pi-Ramesses. In an age without phones, internet, planes, trains or cars that was a very long distance... a six-day walk.
“As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. Therefore, send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.’ He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. But he who did not regard the Word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field. Then, the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.’ And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.” Exodus 9:17-26
What a strange appearance! Fire and ice together! And then, there was the loud booms of thunder. Fire was darting across the ground. People and animals died. Herbs were destroyed. Trees were broken. The Egyptians had never seen or heard anything like it! On top of all this, the slaves, who lived in the slums, enjoyed good weather that day.
“And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, ‘I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thunder and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.’ So, Moses said to him, ‘As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.’ Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops. So, Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. So, the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses. Exodus 9:27-35
Pharaoh confessed, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.” He asked Moses to pray to the Lord. He promised, “I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
Did he keep his word? No. Like a gambler who doesn’t know when to stop, as long as Pharaoh had resources (the barley and flax had not been destroyed), he was going to keep placing bets against God.
Antichrist-type kings are opportunities for God to gather all those who have hardened their hearts against Him into one place and then, humble them. God repeats the miracle of hail and fire on the kingdom of the antichrist in the last days. In Revelation 8:7, He sends down hail and fire to burn up a third of the trees. Then, in Revelation 16:21, He sends great hail. Each hailstone weighs about 110 pounds. The God haters don’t repent. They blaspheme Him.
“Now the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.’ So, Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: how long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?’” Exodus 10:1-7
Moses and Aaron asked the King of Egypt how long he would refuse to humble himself before the Lord. His servants asked him, “Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” Like family members of an alcoholic, they tried to get him to change. He was destroying his life and theirs.
“So, Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, ‘Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are the ones that are going?’ And Moses said, ‘We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.’ Then, he said to them, ‘The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.’ And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.” Exodus 10:8-11
Pharaoh suggested a compromise with Moses. The men could go but women and children must stay behind. However, he was not in a position to dictate the terms of his surrender.
“Then, the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.’ So, Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So, there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.” Exodus 10:12-15
The land was darkened with locusts. Locusts are short-horned grasshoppers. They ate the herbs and fruits that the hail left behind.
“Then, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Now, therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.’” Exodus 10:16-17
The Pharaoh confessed to Moses and Aaron that he sinned against the Lord. He asked them to forgive his sin. He asked Moses to pray to the Lord his God that God would take away the death.
“So, he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.” Exodus 10:18-20
Moses prayed! Pharaoh betrayed!
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.’ So, Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” Exodus 10:21-23
For three days God placed thick darkness over the land of Egypt, but God’s people still had light. Once, while living in San Francisco, I experienced darkened days due to fires burning in the nearby mountains. It was very eerie! The light that we did have was a very dark hue of orange. I remember wanting that experience to end quickly, but it lasted three days.
“Then, Pharaoh called to Moses and said, ‘Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you.’ But Moses said, ‘You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.’” Exodus 10:24-26
Pharaoh still wanted to dictate the conditions of his surrender. How often do we do that with God? We act like we are in a position to tell God what part of ourselves that we will surrender to God when He is in a position to cast us into everlasting hell.
Pharoah told Moses that the Israelites could take their children with them but needed to leave their livestock behind. Moses responded, “Not a hoof shall be left behind.” He stood up to the bully in the Name of the Lord. Good for him.
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. Then, Pharaoh said to him, ‘Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day, you see my face you shall die!’ So, Moses said, ‘You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.’” Exodus 10:27-29
The Pharaoh demanded that Moses leave and threatened to kill him. Moses no longer feared him. In fact, Moses and Pharaoh will meet again in chapters 11-12 of Exodus. The Pharaoh will not kill Moses. He will let the Hebrew slaves go, and they will plunder the wealth of Egypt.
When I served the Lord in China, I heard stories about Mao Zedong. Some of my students told me about the interrogations they experienced. One student told me how when he was in elementary school, “the Party” sent an interrogator to their classroom. The students were asked to tattle on any classmate that was not loyal to the party. Then, he waited. One time, they sat silently so long that some children began to wet themselves. They could not hold it any longer. The man was determined to extract a confession from them, but no one confessed. Another student told me how his father was a surgeon. Red Guard members wrapped his father’s fingers in piano wire and tied the other ends to a ceiling fan and turned the fan on, ripping his fingers to pieces. His brother refused to praise Mao Zedong so they stuck him in the buttocks multiple times with a pitch fork. Another student told me how they learned to tell lies skillfully to protect themselves and their loved ones.
I also heard positive testimonies connected to Mao Zedong. He wanted everyone in China to be literate so they could read his little red book. So, he promoted a successful literacy movement. He wanted everyone to hear his political speeches so he placed radios in villages with public address systems all across China. These radios could receive signals from faraway. He also wanted better roads so that his officials could oversee the country more easily.
Mao Zedong once boasted that he would cut out the tongue of God. Well, his three great leaps forward helped God to reach more people. Christians beam the Gospel into China via radio waves. We move millions of Bibles to people all over China on the roads he built. We meet people who can read and read well. Praise the Lord!
Bruce Lee was famous for using an attacker’s energy to defeat him. Jeet Kune Do (截拳道) focuses on maximizing efficiency by not opposing force with force, but rather by redirecting it. Lee used his attacker’s energy to move him off-balance. He used his attackers forward momentum as an opportunity to attack him. He studied the mechanics of Judo to understand how to throw and manipulate balance efficiently. He used footwork movements to manage distance, allowing him to hit an attacker while remaining safe.
Bruce Lee was a master at using his opponent’s energy against him. His skills were amazing to watch. However, God is even greater at this art than Bruce Lee. In the Book of Exodus, God used a humble 80-year-old man to chop a proud king down to nothing inch by inch. In this way, God let the world know that He alone is God, and Pharoah was not. God will do even greater miracles in the days ahead when another “Pharaoh” rises up and assumes that he is greater than God.
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