In
addition to what already we wrote about Understanding Revelation, since
I wrote it, some further wonderful parallels from the Old Testament Exodus
became even more evident.
There is a clear parallel to the burning bush experience of Moses when
John heard a voice behind Him saying it was the I Am.
John, like Moses, had to turn to see the voice. When turned, he
saw, similar to Moses' experience, a burning tree-shaped
candlestick, whereas Moses saw a burning bush. And Christ was in
that candlestick.
When Moses went atop Sinai for the Law, Exodus 24 reads God called him up, as follows:
Exo 24:12 And the LORD said unto
Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee
tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that
thou mayest teach them.
Notice what John was told:
Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and,
behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard
was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up
hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
And when Moses obtained the Ten Commandments,m they were described as follows:
Exo 32:15 And Moses turned, and
went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in
his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side
and on the other were they written.
Rev 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne
a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
The sequence of furniture God spoke to Moses to build, which we learn
in Hebrews 9 was a pattern of the tabernacle in Heaven, follows with
John's sequence of sights in Heaven.
Ark of the covenant - Exodus 25:10-22
Throne of God - Rev 4:2
Table of Shewbread - Exodus 25:23-30
Twenty Four seats - Rev 4:4
Candelestick - Exodus 25:31-40
Seven Lamps Burning - Rev 4:5
Barrier of Curtains and Veil with Cherubims embroidered: Exodus 26:1-10; 31-37
Barrier of Crystal Sea and Four Beasts (Cherubims): Rev 4:6-11.
Rev 4:6-9 shows the Lamb slain, whose blood redeemed the saints, take
the book to open the seals. Moses was able to retrieve the
Tablets of Law from God on Sinai after the Passover lamb's blood was
shed and struck onto the doorways to redeem Israel from Bondage.
Plagues are found in both the Egyptian ordeal and through the seals, trumpets and vials of Revelation.
Revelation 12 seems to span the entire Exodus parallel regarding the
initial Exodus aspect of entering the wilderness after leacving
Egypt in one chapter.
Pharaoh parallels the dragon, or serpent. Pharaoh even wore a
crown with the serpent emblazoned on it. And the man-child
corresponds to Moses, and is fulfilled in Jesus.
Exo 1:15-16 And the king of Egypt
spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was
Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: (16) And he said,
When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them
upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a
daughter, then she shall live.
Rev 12:1-4 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman
clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a
crown of twelve stars: (2) And she being with child cried,
travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. (3) And
there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon,
having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his
heads. (4) And his tail drew the third part of the stars of
heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the
woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon
as it was born.
Moses went into Egpyt where he arose in power for the throne, escaping Pharoah's massacre.
Exo 2:1-5 And there went a man of
the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. (2)
And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he
was a goodly child, she hid him three months. (3) And when
she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes,
and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and
she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. (4) And his
sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
(5) And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the
river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she
saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
Mat 2:12-18 And being warned of God in a dream that they should
not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another
way. (13) And when they were departed, behold, the angel of
the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the
young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt,
and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the
young child to destroy him. (14) When he arose, he took the
young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
(15) And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of
Egypt have I called my son. (16) Then Herod, when he saw
that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent
forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the
coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time
which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. (17) Then
was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet,
saying, (18) In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation,
and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and
would not be comforted, because they are not.
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and
to his throne.
Much time passes and Israel escapes Egypt's bondage by Passover, when
the lamb's blood redeemed them, and Pharaoh pursues the people.
Time passed for Christ as well, after escaping death at the hand
of Herod, and He dies and resurrects to the throne of God.
Israel flees into the wilderness and is fed manna for 40 years. Pharoah pursues the people.
Rev 12:6-13 And the woman fled
into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they
should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
(7) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
(8) And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in
heaven. (9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:
he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with
him. (10) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is
come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power
of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night. (11) And they
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
(12) Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is
come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath
but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto
the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Exo 14:5-8 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people
fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against
the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let
Israel go from serving us? (6) And he made ready his
chariot, and took his people with him: (7) And he took six
hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains
over every one of them. (8) And the LORD hardened the heart
of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel:
and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.
When Pharaoh comes upon Israel, they are at the Red Sea and God opens
up the Red Sea for Israel to escape, blocking Egypot's armies by the
pillar of fire and cloud. Pharaoh sees the pillar remove and
sends his armies off after Israel into the Red Sea. And God
drowns out the armies of Egypt.
Exo 14:23-28 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to
the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his
horsemen. (24) And it came to pass, that in the morning
watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar
of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
(25) And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them
heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of
Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
(26) And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over
the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their
chariots, and upon their horsemen. (27) And Moses stretched
forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when
the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD
overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. (28) And
the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and
all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there
remained not so much as one of them.
When Moses later worships God with Israel, God spekas how he carried
Israel on eagle's wings and had the earth swallow up the armies of
Egypt.
Exo 15:12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Exo 19:4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
Rev 12:14-16 And to the woman were given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where
she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face
of the serpent. (15) And the serpent cast out of his mouth
water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried
away of the flood. (16) And the earth helped the woman, and
the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon
cast out of his mouth.
Here is where things get really interesting.
As Moses came down from the Mount with Law, God informed him that the people made a golden calf and were worshipping it.
Exo 32:1-34 And when the people
saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people
gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us
gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that
brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of
him. (2) And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden
earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of
your daughters, and bring them unto me. (3) And all the
people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and
brought them unto Aaron. (4) And he received them at their
hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a
molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought
thee up out of the land of Egypt. (5) And when Aaron saw
it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said,
To morrow is a feast to the LORD. (6) And they rose up
early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace
offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to
play. (7) And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down;
for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have
corrupted themselves: (8) They have turned aside quickly
out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten
calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said,
These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land
of Egypt.
We read of an IMAGE OF THE BEAST in Revelation as well.
Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that
dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to
do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth,
that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a
sword, and did live.
When Moses came down, he demanded a separation from the worship of the
image of the beast, the golden calf, and the Levites came out and stood
with Moses.
Exo 32:26 Then Moses stood in the
gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come
unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
After we read of the people worshiping the image of the beast and
wearing the mark, we read of another group standing with the Lamb on a
mountain.
Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a
Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four
thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
In considering the mark of the beast, or his name or his number, on the
foreheads of the worshipers of the beast, we read a very interesting
connection with the Law of Moses.
Deu 6:2-8 That thou mightest fear
the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which
I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of
thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. (3) Hear
therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with
thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers
hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
(4) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: (5)
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy might. (6) And these words,
which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (7)
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk
of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the
way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou
shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Associated with the law being obeyed from their hearts, and with their
soul and might, we can see a connection to the soul being represented
by the forehead, and the might represented by the right hand.
These are Hebraic metaphors for soul and might.
They indicate one's totally allegiance to the Law of God and full
dedication to the Lord. But satan's answer is the mark in the
right hand or forehead.
After Moses called for folks to stand by his side, he sent these
faithful ones forth to slay the others. Three thousand died that
day by the edge of the sword. Similarly, we read of Babylon
having fallen, fallen, after the 144,000 stand by the Lamb's side on
Mount Zion.
Exo 32:28 And the children of
Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people
that day about three thousand men.
Rev 14:7-10 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to
him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
(8) And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen,
is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication. (9) And the third
angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the
beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his
hand, (10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of
God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his
indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Revelation ends with a New Jerusalem, and God and the Lamb are the
temple of it. The ultimate journey of Exodus would end with
Israel's entrance into Canaan to take Jebusi and convert it into
Jerusalem, and build a temple for the Name of the Lord.