What was the penultimate of the ten plagues of Egypt. Egyptian executions. Natural disasters. Absolute darkness

The ten plagues of Egypt, also called the ten biblical plagues, are ten plagues that, according to the biblical book, the Lord sent to Egypt to convince the pharaoh to release the Jews from slavery. The pharaoh surrendered after the tenth execution, which led to.

While supporters of biblical archeology claim that the story of the 10 Egyptian plagues is true, many historians consider them to be allegorical descriptions of natural disasters or political conflicts. For this reason, we will consider the biblical interpretation of the plagues of Egypt, as well as a different point of view on these events.

Biblical archaeologists, interpreting the Egyptian executions as a fact, rely on the following archaeological finds:

• Found by William F. Albright at El Arish, a water vessel with hieroglyphic signs describing a period of darkness;
• The Egyptian papyrus Ipuwera describing a series of disasters that befell Egypt, including the turning of the water in the river into blood.

Egyptian plagues - opposing the power of the God of Israel to the powers of the Egyptian gods. It is known that Egypt at that time was a polytheistic society, where faith in many deities reigned. The Egyptian pantheon was numerous and with a very complex hierarchy. The pharaohs of Egypt also played an important role in the religion. They were intermediaries between people and gods, as well as high priests. The Egyptian Pharaohs were revered on a par with the gods, so the Pharaoh was surprised at the persistence and audacity of Moses' request to let his people go. Moses conveyed God's command:

thus says the Lord God of Israel: Let my people go, that they may celebrate a feast for me in the wilderness.

But Pharaoh said:

Thus, the pharaoh and the Egyptian pantheon had a "rival" - the God of Israel. In this confrontation, God often repeats the phrase:

And you will know that I am the Lord your God

The Lord wanted to show his people his power: the Lord of a small people is able to withstand the entire pantheon of Egypt - the superpower of that time.

The biblical story of the ten plagues of Egypt is important in terms of strengthening religion. If the God of Israel can triumph over the gods of Egypt, then the people of God will be strengthened in their faith and will not be tempted to follow false pagan deities. Ten Plagues of Egypt caused great damage to the Egyptians, but did not touch the children of Israel.

It is believed that each execution was supposed to show the superiority of the one God over certain gods of the Egyptian pantheon.

Each of the 10 Egyptian plagues hit a different aspect of the Egyptian religious belief system. The culmination was the death of the hereditary god - the firstborn son of the Pharaoh. The ten Egyptian plagues followed one after the other until Pharaoh decided to let the people of Israel go.

Egyptian executions are the essence.

We will consider the biblical interpretation of 10 Egyptian plagues, and also give the opinion of historians about possible reasons these events.

Turning water into blood

And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded [them]. And [Aaron] lifted up [his] staff and struck the water of the river before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all the water in the river turned into blood, and the fish in the river died out, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river ; and there was blood over all the land of Egypt. (Exodus 7:20-21)

According to the Bible, the waters of the Nile turned into blood. All streams turned into blood, and even the water in the vessels turned into blood. The Egyptian magicians were able to repeat the transformation of water into blood, and the Egyptians began to dig around the rivers, looking for drinking water. Pharaoh only got angry after the first execution and did not agree to let the people of Israel go.

Turning water into blood is a common motif in the Bible. God even earlier invites Moses to turn water into blood as proof of the power of the Lord:

... but if they do not believe even these two signs and do not listen to your voice, then take water from the river and pour it out on dry land; and the water taken from the river will become blood on dry land (Exodus 4:9)

Historical version.

Probably about 3000 years ago in the area of ​​the city of Pi-Ramses, which at that time was the capital of Egypt, there were some changes in climate, which may have been the causes of those events that are described in the Bible as Egyptian plagues.

Rising temperatures and drought have shoaled the Nile, turning it into a shallow, muddy stream in which the toxic bacteria Oscillatoria rubescens has risen sharply. Dying and decaying, Oscillatoria rubescens turn the water red.

toad invasion

Seven days after the first plague, God ordered Moses to have his brother Aaron stretch out his hand with a rod over the rivers and streams and bring the frogs out of the water.

Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt [and brought out frogs]; and the frogs came out and covered the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:6)

The Magi of Egypt succeeded in repeating this miracle as well. Pharaoh also asked Moses to pray to God to remove the frogs from land and dwellings, promising to let the people of Israel go. Moses prayed to God and he removed the frogs, however, the pharaoh did not keep his word and became even more angry.

Historical version

A large number of toxic bacteria Oscillatoria rubescens not only turned the waters of the crushed Nile red, but also led to the invasion of frogs. The fact is that in an unfavorable situation, unlike many other species, the development of frogs from tadpoles accelerates.

Invasion of midges

After another refusal of the pharaoh, the Lord ordered Aaron to send midges to Egypt.

And so they did: Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and midges appeared on people and on cattle. All the dust of the earth became midges throughout the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:17)

The Magi could not repeat the third execution, but the angry pharaoh refused to let the Jews go.

Historical version

When the frogs that emerged from the waters infected with Oscillatoria rubescens died on land, the dominance of insects that fed on the numerous corpses of amphibians began. Thus historians explain this and subsequent execution.

Dogfly punishment

The next execution was the punishment of flies, which were not terrible for the Jews, but tormented the Egyptians and their cattle.

And so the Lord did: a multitude of dog flies flew into the house of Pharaoh, and into the houses of his servants, and over all the land of Egypt: the land perished from dog flies. (Exodus 8:24)

The fourth execution, like all subsequent ones, bypassed the Jews, who even more believed in the almighty God and God's chosen people. Pharaoh, on the other hand, had to make sure that the Lord not only distinguishes where His people are and where Pharaoh's people are, but is also ready to protect the people of Israel from disasters from which Pharaoh is not able to protect his people.

Pharaoh again promised to let the Jews go if the Lord dealt with the flies, and again he did not keep his promise.

Pestilence

The next execution - pestilence, again did not touch the people of Israel.

And the Lord did this the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died out; none of the livestock of the children of Israel died. (Exodus 9:6)

Egyptian cattle began to die from pestilence. Pharaoh was angry when he learned that the cattle of the Jews were not harmed and did not let the people of Israel go.

Historical version.

According to historians, the insects that bred as a result of the death of toads caused the fifth and sixth plagues - pestilence and ulcers. Insects are known to spread disease, which may have led to an epidemic that mowed down animals and people.

Ulcers and boils

They took the ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw it to heaven, and there was inflammation with boils on people and cattle. (Exodus 9:10)

This execution was not announced to the pharaoh. It was the first execution that directly threatened the lives of people. The Magi of Egypt were stricken with disease, like all commoners. This showed the failure of the Magi. They realized the impotence of their gods. Pharaoh did not give up in his perseverance.

Thunder, lightning and fiery hail

This execution begins the final cycle of God's punishments - the most severe of all ten plagues. The last Egyptian plagues are described in the Bible in more detail than the rest.

... Moses stretched out his rod to heaven, and the Lord made thunder and hail, and fire poured over the earth; and the Lord sent hail over [all] the land of Egypt;

and there was hail and fire between the hail, [hail] very strong, such as has not been in all the land of Egypt since the time of its population. (Exodus 9:23-24)

Pharaoh did not repent even after this punishment. After this execution, the pharaoh was ready to release all the men, but Moses did not agree.

Historical version.

Probably, here we are talking about the strongest eruption of the volcano Thera on the Greek island of Santorini. The hail was the result of the collision of rain clouds with a cloud of volcanic ash.

During excavations in Egypt, pieces of volcanic stone were found, although there are no volcanoes in Egypt. Tests have shown that the volcanic stone is similar to that found in Santorini.

Locust Invasion

In this execution, we again see the intention of God to prove his power not only to Pharaoh, but also to the people of Israel. Locusts infested all of Egypt.

... And Moses stretched out his rod on the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on this land, which continued all that day and all night. Morning came, and the east wind swept the locusts.

And the locusts attacked all the land of Egypt and lay down over all the land of Egypt in great numbers: before there was no such locust, and after this there will be no such;

she covered the face of the whole earth, so that the earth could not be seen, and she ate all the grass of the earth and all the fruits of the trees that escaped from the hail, and there was no greenery either on the trees or on the grass of the field in all the land of Egypt. (Ex. 10:13-15)

Historical version.

The locust invasion could also be the result of a volcanic eruption. The fall of ash could lead to an increase in humidity, and, consequently, to an increase in the number of locusts, for which very favorable conditions were created.

Dark

Moses stretched out his hand to heaven, and there was thick darkness over all the land of Egypt for three days; did not see each other, and no one got up from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. (Ex. 10:22-23)

The object of this Egyptian execution was the main deity of the Egyptian pantheon, the sun god Ra, whose representative on earth was the pharaoh.

Historical version

The darkness could be caused by the accumulation of ash clouds after the same eruption. According to another version, it could be solar eclipse or sandstorm.

Death of the firstborn

After the 10th plague, sadness entered every home where there were children. This execution entailed the liberation of the Jewish people.

At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in prison, and all the firstborn of the cattle. (Ex. 12:29).

At midnight in every Egyptian family, including the family of the pharaoh, the firstborn was supposed to die. In previous executions, Moses and Aaron played an important role, they warned the pharaoh about the execution and carried it out with the help of the Lord. The tenth plague was carried out by God alone.

Historical version.

The probable explanation for the tenth plague is the damage to the grain by a poisonous fungus or mold. Since the first-born boys got the first portion of food, it was they who died en masse.

It is customary to unite ten Egyptian plagues in three cycles + the 10th plague. The executions of the first cycle brought disgust, the second - pain, and the executions of the third cycle have a natural beginning and are universal in nature. Probably ten Egyptian plagues took place over the course of 9 months from July to April.

The reaction of the pharaoh to each of the executions is also curious.

We present to you full list 10 plagues of Egypt, which are mentioned in, in the book of Exodus. We recently published an article that describes the story of the exodus of the people of Israel. From the book of Exodus we learn the reasons why God allowed Pharaoh to be hard-hearted:

« And the Lord said to Moses: "Pharaoh did not listen to you, so that I could show My great power in Egypt." This is why Moses and Aaron performed all these great miracles before Pharaoh, and this is why the Lord made Pharaoh so stubborn and refused to let the Israelites leave their country". Exodus 11:9-10

In this Bible passage, we clearly see why God allowed Pharaoh to be so stubborn. With this short article, we want to draw your attention to exactly how God did this, showing His power and the impotence of the so-called "gods" of Egypt. See for yourself…

10 plagues of Egypt - list

1. First execution. Blood. The pharaoh is angry. Moses and Aaron did the Lord's command. Aaron raised a walking stick, struck it on the water, doing this in front of the pharaoh and his entourage, and all the water in the river turned into blood. The fish in it died, and the river began to stink, and the Egyptians could not drink water from it. There was blood everywhere in Egypt. (Exodus 7:20,21)
2. Second execution. Toads. Pharaoh pleads for relief, but hardens. And behold, Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs began to come out of the water, and they filled all the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:6)
3. Third execution. Midges or lice. The pharaoh is angry. And so they did. Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the earth, and all over Egypt the dust turned into lice, and all animals and all people were covered with them. (Exodus 8:17)
4. Fourth execution. Dog flies. Pharaoh sets conditions, but hardens. That's what the Lord did. A great multitude of flies flocked to Egypt; they were in the house of the pharaoh and in the houses of all his associates. Flies were all over Egypt, the country was dying from them. (Exodus 8:24)
5. Fifth execution. Sea ulcer. The pharaoh is angry. The next morning, all the cattle of Egypt died out, but not a single animal belonging to the people of Israel perished. Pharaoh sent to find out if any of Israel's livestock had died, but not a single animal of Israel died. Pharaoh continued to persist, and did not let the people go. (Exodus 9:6,7)
6. Sixth execution. Abscesses. The pharaoh is angry. Moses and Aaron collected ashes from the furnace, went and stood before Pharaoh. They threw ashes into the air, and people and animals began to become covered with boils. The magicians could not prevent Moses from doing this, because even they themselves had boils. And everywhere in Egypt the same thing happened. (Exodus 9:10,11)
7. Seventh execution. Grad. Pharaoh pleads for relief, promises freedom, but hardens. The Lord said to Moses: "Raise your hands to the sky, and hail will begin to fall throughout Egypt, hail will fall on people, on cattle and on all plants in the fields of Egypt." And so Moses raised his travel staff to heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and lightning, and hail began to fall to the ground throughout Egypt. The hail was falling, and lightning flashed through it. It was the strongest hail in Egypt since its founding. The hail destroyed everything in the fields of Egypt - people, livestock and plants and broke all the trees in the fields. Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived, there was no hail. (Exodus 9:22-26)
8. Eighth punishment. Locust. Pharaoh sets conditions, begs for relief, but hardens. “Raise your hand over the land of Egypt,” the Lord said to Moses, “and let the locust attack it. It will spread throughout the land of Egypt and eat the plants that survived the hail." Moses raised his walking staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord sent a strong east wind. The wind blew all day and all night, and by morning brought locusts. Locusts flocked to Egypt and landed on the ground. There have never been so many locusts in Egypt, and there never will be again. She covered the earth, and the whole earth darkened. She ate all the plants on the earth and all the fruits on the trees that survived from the hail: nowhere in Egypt was not a single leaf left either on the trees or on the plants. (Exodus 10:12-15)
9. Ninth punishment. Dark. Pharaoh sets conditions, but hardens. And then the Lord said to Moses: “Raise your hand to heaven and tangible darkness will fall on Egypt!” Moses raised his hand to the sky, and Egypt was covered with a cloud of darkness, which stood over Egypt for three days. People did not see each other, and no one got up from their place for three days; where the people of Israel lived, it was light. (Exodus 10:21-23)
10. Tenth punishment. Death of the firstborn. The Pharaoh and the Egyptians implore the Israelites to leave Egypt. This is what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, and the people of Israel carried out the command of the Lord. At midnight, the Lord killed all the firstborn in Egypt, from the son of the firstborn of Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, to the son of the firstborn of the prisoner who was in prison. All the first-born cattle perished. That night, in every Egyptian house, someone died, and the pharaoh and his rulers and all the people of Egypt wept loudly. That same night, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Get up and go out from among my people, as they said. Go serve the Lord! (Exodus 12:28-31)

Midges: The Hebrew term used means tiny stinging creatures barely visible to the naked eye. The Egyptian priests, who, in accordance with their religious beliefs, kept themselves clean by frequently washing and shaving their body hair, were driven to despair and declared unclean for service.

Dog flies: An insect that sucks blood and lays its eggs on other living creatures, the larvae of which feed on the flesh of these creatures. It was seen as a manifestation of the deity Wathit. "The earth perished from flies" (v. 24) - this was hardly a positive assessment for any "insect-deity." Whatever the insect, the force of the execution was significant and caused much suffering.

The pestilence is very severe: In enumeration various kinds livestock, the severe nature of the ulcer, which first affected personal property, was pointedly emphasized. Egyptian literature and painting give sufficient evidence to show how valuable livestock was to them. Whether the disease was anthrax, foot-and-mouth disease, or any other livestock disease, it was clearly contagious and fatal. The spiritual meaning of this Egyptian execution was obvious: Egypt highly valued the bull, considering it a sacred animal. Particular attention and worship was given to Apis, the sacred white bull of the god Ptah. Heliopolis worshiped the bull Mnevis. Also the subject of worship in several cities was the goddess Hathor, depicted as a cow or cow-woman.

Dark: This description of the ninth plague in Egypt, which came without warning, indicates the very unusual nature of the three-day darkness that prevented people from leaving their homes. That Israel had light in their dwellings and could go about their daily business highlights the supernatural nature of the plague. From a theological point of view, such thick darkness directly challenged the allegiance of the sun god Ra, who should provide warmth and sunlight every day, and hindered the daily ritual of worship.

Easter is a word familiar to most! On this day, Christ is always remembered and instead of the usual "Hello" we hear: "Christ is risen!" And in response, people who greet the acquaintances they meet in a similar way want to hear: “Truly, he has risen!”
What do we know about Easter?
This is a "holiday" of Easter cakes, painted and painted, scratched and carved eggs.
Many also associate Easter with the veneration of deceased loved ones, to whom on Easter or on the dates closest to this day you need to visit the cemetery ...
But what exactly is Easter, and how should we relate to it in this regard?
To understand the importance of Easter and whether it should be celebrated, you need to study the Bible a little.

What is the name of the Lord?
In the Synodal Translation of the Bible, we read in the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus, in the 6th chapter, 3 text: “I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with the name “God Almighty”, but with my name “Lord”* I did not reveal myself to them” . In the footnote we read what the translators meant by the word Lord. It says that wherever the Lord stands in the Bible, the name *Jehovah should be!
The Lord is the master. But Our Lord, God, has a name.
So, in the Synodal translation of the Bible published in 1876 - the first and only Russian translation that has a recognized status in the Russian Orthodox Church, the name "Jehovah" appears nine times - all in the Old Testament: in the book of Genesis, the 22nd chapter, the 14th text; in the book of Exodus, 3rd chapter, 14th text; 6th chapter, 3rd text (in a footnote to the word Lord "); 15th chapter, 3rd text; 17th chapter, 15th text; 33rd chapter, 19th text; 34th chapter, 5th text; in the book of Judges, 6th chapter, 24th text; in the book of the prophet Hosea, the 12th chapter, the 5th text.

In the translation made earlier by the Orthodox Church by Archimandrite Macarius, the name "Jehovah" is used much more often (more than 3000 times). In turn, Archimandrite Macarius followed the traditions of Hebrew language professor Gerasim Petrovich Pavsky, who translated almost all 39 books of the Old Testament and also used the name Jehovah.
Also, one of the largest Russian Orthodox theologians of the 19th century, Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov), using the Jewish Masoretic text, translated the biblical book of Genesis, in which he consistently used the name "Jehovah" (Iegova) in verses where the tetragrammaton is found - the name of God in Hebrew.
In the New Testament, the name Jehovah should appear where the writers quoted from the Old Testament. For example, the Bible, the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 22, text 44 quotes words from the Old Testament, from Psalm, chapter 109, 1st text: “The Lord said to my Lord: sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool Yours."
Two Lords - Jehovah (Lord) said to Jesus Christ (Lord - the appointed King): sit on right hand from me until the time when I put your enemies under your feet...
The Israelites of Jesus' time undoubtedly knew the name of Jehovah God and used it both in worship and in daily life.
Why it is so important to use the name of Jehovah God in worship is pointed out by the Old Testament prophet Micah. In Micah 4th chapter, 5th text says: “For all nations walk, each one in the name of his god; but we will walk in the name of Jehovah (the Lord) our God forever and ever.”

Who is Jehovah?

“WHO is the Lord Jehovah?” This question was asked 3,500 years ago by the proud pharaoh king of Egypt. Sheer disdain prompted him to add, “I do not know the Lord Jehovah.” At that moment, two men stood before Pharaoh who knew who Jehovah was. They were two brothers - Moses and Aaron, originally from the Israelite tribe of Levi. Jehovah sent them to demand that the Egyptian ruler let the Israelites go into the desert to hold a religious festival there.
“After this, Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and said to him, This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Let my people go, that they may celebrate a feast for me in the wilderness.
2 But Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let the children of Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go” - Bible, Old Testament, Exodus 5th chapter, 1st and 2nd texts.
Pharaoh did not want an answer to his question. Under his rule, the priests promoted the worship of hundreds of false gods. Even the pharaoh himself was considered a god! According to Egyptian mythology, he was the son of Ra, the god of the sun, and the incarnation of the god Horus, depicted with the head of a falcon. The pharaoh was addressed with such titles as "powerful god" and "primordial god". Therefore, it is not surprising that he contemptuously asked: “Who is the Lord [Jehovah, NM], that I should obey His voice?”
Moses and Aaron did not need to answer this question. Pharaoh knew that Jehovah was the God worshiped by the Israelites who were suffering under Egyptian slavery at the time. But Pharaoh and all of Egypt soon learned that Jehovah is the true God. Likewise today, Jehovah will make his name and Godhead known to all on earth.
“And I will sanctify my great name, which is not glorified among the nations, among whom you dishonored it, and the nations will know that I am Jehovah (the Lord), says Jehovah (the Lord) God, when I show my holiness before their eyes” - Bible, Old Testament , the book of the prophet Ezekiel, 36 chapter, 23 text.
Therefore, it will be useful for us to discuss how Jehovah God exalted his name in ancient Egypt.
"10 Plagues of Egypt", which are described on the pages of Holy Scripture - the Bible, will help us understand what really happened. Please check the Scriptures in your Bibles and you will be able to follow and understand this grandiose drama and understand the meaning of what was happening ...

Standing higher than the Egyptian gods

When Pharaoh defiantly asked who Jehovah was, he did not expect the consequences he experienced. The answer came from Jehovah himself, who brought ten plagues on Egypt. These executions were not just misfortunes that befell the state. TEN EXECUTIONS - there were IMPACTS on the GODS of Egypt.
The executions clearly showed the clear superiority of Jehovah over the Egyptian gods. This is how the Creator Himself expressed what happened next: “I will execute judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am Jehovah." Moses described the consequences of this action as follows: “the Lord Jehovah executed judgment on their gods” - the Bible, the Old Testament, the book of Exodus, the 12th chapter, the 12th text and the book of Numbers, the 33rd chapter, the 4th text.

First execution

Imagine the uproar when Jehovah turned the Nile River and all the waters of Egypt into blood! Through this miracle, Pharaoh and his people learned that Jehovah was superior to Hapi, the god of the Nile River. The death of the fish in the Nile was also a blow to the Egyptian religion, as certain types of fish were worshiped in Egypt.
“And the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron your brother, Take your rod in your hand, and stretch out your hand over the waters of the Egyptians: over their rivers, over their streams, over their lakes, and over every container of their waters, and they shall turn into blood, and there will be blood all over the land of Egypt, both in wooden and stone vessels.
And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them. And Aaron lifted up his rod and struck the water of the river before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all the water in the river turned to blood, and the fish in the river died out, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water from the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt” - Bible, Old Testament, Exodus 7th chapter, verses 19 to 21.

Second execution

Then Jehovah struck Egypt with frogs. This discredited the Egyptian goddess Heket, who was embodied in a frog.
“And the Lord said to Moses: Say to Aaron [your brother]: Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams, and over the lakes, and bring out the frogs on the land of Egypt.
Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt [and brought out frogs]; and the frogs came out and covered the land of Egypt.
The magicians [of Egypt] did the same with their charms and brought frogs into the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said: pray [for me] to the Lord, that He remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people of Israel go to sacrifice to the Lord.
Moses said to Pharaoh: appoint me yourself when to pray for you, for your servants and for your people, so that the frogs disappear from you, [from your people,] in your houses, and remain only in the river.
He said tomorrow. Moses answered: It will be according to your word, so that you may know that there is none like the Lord our God; and the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, and from your fields, and from your servants, and from your people; only in the river they will remain.
Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses called to the Lord about the frogs that He had brought on Pharaoh.
And the Lord did according to the word of Moses: the frogs died out in the houses, in the yards and in their fields; and they gathered them in heaps, and the earth stank” - Bible, Old Testament, Exodus 8th chapter, from the 5th to the 14th texts.
It must be admitted that the strength of the Magi (Egyptian magicians, using the power of evil spiritual personalities - Satan and his demons) was at the level until the next execution. The Magi could repeat what Moses and Aaron did. But the third execution was beyond the power of the worshipers of the pagan gods.

Third execution

The third plague confused the Magi, who failed to repeat Jehovah's miracle of turning dust into midges. "It's the finger of God!" they exclaimed. The Egyptian god Thoth, who was credited with inventing the art of magic, could not help these charlatans.
Pharaoh increasingly learned who Jehovah was. Jehovah was the God who not only announced his intentions through Moses, but then carried them out by inflicting supernatural plagues on the Egyptians. Jehovah could also, according to his will, both start and stop the blows. Knowing this, however, did not move Pharaoh to submit to Jehovah. On the contrary, the arrogant ruler of Egypt persisted in resisting Jehovah.
“And the Lord said to Moses: Say to Aaron, Stretch out your rod with your hand and strike the dust of the earth, and there will be gnats on people and on cattle and on Pharaoh, and in his house and on his servants, all the dust of the earth will become gnats in all the land of Egypt.
And so they did: Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and midges appeared on people and on cattle. All the dust of the earth became midges throughout the land of Egypt.
The magicians also tried to produce midges with their charms, but they could not. And there were midges on people and on cattle.
And the wise men said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord said.

Fourth execution

Dog flies - the fourth plague - had a detrimental effect on the earth, flooded the houses and probably swarmed in the air, which was an object of worship personified in the god Shu and in Isis, the goddess of the sky. The Hebrew word for this insect is translated as "gadfly", "dog fly" and "beetle" (New World Translation, New World Translation, Yang). If it was a sacred scarab, then the Egyptians were struck by insects, which they considered sacred, and it was impossible for people to walk without crushing them under their feet. This execution, at the very least, taught Pharaoh something new about Jehovah. The Egyptian gods could not save their worshipers from horseflies, but Jehovah protected his people. This and all subsequent executions struck the Egyptians, but they did not touch the Israelites.
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise early tomorrow and appear before Pharaoh. Behold, he will go to the water, and you shall say to him: Thus says the Lord: Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness; but if you do not let my people go, then, behold, I will send flies on you and on your servants and on your people and on your houses, and the houses of the Egyptians will be filled with flies and the very land on which they live; and in that day I will cut off the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, and there will be no flies, so that you may know that I am the Lord God among all the earth; I will make a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow there will be this sign on the earth.
So the Lord did: many dog ​​flies flew into the house of the Pharaohs, and into the houses of his servants, and over all the land of Egypt: the land perished from dog flies ”- Bible, Old Testament, Exodus, 8th chapter, from the 20th to 24th texts.

Fifth execution

The fifth plague was a pestilence that struck the Egyptian cattle. This blow disgraced Hathor, Apis and Nut, the sky goddess with the body of a cow.
“And the Lord said to Moses: Go to Pharaoh and say to him: thus says the Lord, the God of the Jews: Let my people go, that they may serve me; for if you are not willing to let my people go and still hold them back, behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your livestock, which is in the field, on horses, on donkeys, on camels, on oxen and sheep: there will be a pestilence very heavy; and the Lord will divide at that time between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and of all the cattle of the children of Israel not one will die.
And the Lord appointed a time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord will do it in this land.
And the Lord did this the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died out; none of the livestock of the children of Israel died.
Pharaoh sent to find out, and behold, of all the cattle of the sons of Israel, not one died. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the people go" - Bible, Old Testament, Exodus, 9th chapter, from 1st to 7th text.

Sixth execution

The sixth plague was boils on people and animals, which humiliated the gods Thoth, Isis and Ptah, who were falsely credited with healing abilities.
“And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Take a full handful of ashes from the furnace, and let Moses throw it up to heaven in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants; and dust will rise up over all the land of Egypt, and there will be inflammation on people and on cattle, with boils, in all the land of Egypt.
They took the ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw it to heaven, and there was inflammation with boils on people and cattle.
And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the inflammation, because the inflammation was on the magicians and on all the Egyptians ”- Bible, Old Testament, Exodus, 9th chapter, from 8th to 11th texts.

Seventh execution

The seventh plague was a strong hailstorm with fire sparkling in the middle of the hailstones. This blow shamed the god Reshpa, who was considered the master of lightning, and Thoth, who allegedly controlled rain and thunder.
“And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch out your hand to heaven, and hail will fall on all the land of Egypt, on people, on cattle, and on all the grass of the field in the land of Egypt.
And Moses stretched out his rod to heaven, and the Lord brought forth thunder and hail, and fire poured over the earth; and the Lord sent hail over [all] the land of Egypt; and there was hail and fire between the hail, [hail] very strong, such as has not been in all the land of Egypt since the time of its population.
And the hail overwhelmed all the land of Egypt, all that was in the field, from man to cattle, and the hail overwhelmed all the grass of the field, and broke all the trees in the field [hail]; only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel lived, there was no hail ”-Bible, Old Testament, book of Exodus, 9th chapter, from the 22nd to the 26th texts.

Eighth plague

The eighth blow - the invasion of locusts - showed the superiority of Jehovah over the god of fertility Min, who was supposedly considered the guardian of crops.
“Then the Lord said to Moses: Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, and let the locust attack the land of Egypt and eat all the grass of the earth and all the fruit of the tree, all that has survived from the hail.
And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land, which continued all that day and all that night. Morning came, and the east wind swept the locusts.
And the locusts attacked all the land of Egypt and lay down over all the land of Egypt in great numbers: before there was no such locust, and after this there will be no such; she covered the face of the whole earth, so that the earth could not be seen, and ate all the grass of the earth and all the fruits of the trees that escaped from the hail, and there was no greenery either on the trees or on the grass of the field in all the land of Egypt ”- Bible, Old Testament , the book of Exodus, the 10th chapter, from the 12th to the 15th text.

Ninth plague

The ninth blow - a three-day darkness over Egypt - poured contempt on such Egyptian gods as the sun god Ra and Horus.
“And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch out your hand to heaven, and there will be darkness in the land of Egypt, palpable darkness.
Moses stretched out his hand to heaven, and there was thick darkness over all the land of Egypt for three days; did not see each other, and no one got up from his place for three days; but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings” - Bible, Old Testament, Exodus 10th chapter, 21st to 23rd texts.

Tenth plague

Despite nine crushing plagues, Pharaoh still refused to let the Israelites go. His hardness of heart and arrogance cost Egypt dearly when God brought the tenth and final plague - the death of the firstborn of people and the firstborn of cattle. Even the firstborn of the pharaoh died, although he was considered a god. So Jehovah - the Living God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, "made judgment on all the (false) gods of Egypt" - the Bible, the Old Testament, the book of Exodus, the 12th chapter, the 12th and 29th texts.
Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said to them: “Get up, get out of the midst of my people, both you and the children of Israel, and go and do the service of the Lord, as you said; and take your flocks and herds, as you said; and go and bless me” - Bible, Exodus 12th chapter, 31st and 32nd texts.
But before the 10th plague, God warned the Israelites that they needed to do something to be saved. From all 9 previous plagues, the Israelites were protected by Jehovah God Himself. Now they had to do something so that the 10th plague would not befall them on a par with the Egyptians. Namely, to celebrate the Easter of the Lord! It was necessary to take a one-year-old lamb, bake it on a fire and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. It was necessary to take the blood of this lamb and anoint the jambs and the crossbar of the doors, so that the angel of God, passing by, would see the marks of blood in the places indicated above, he would pass by without hitting the firstborn of this house. The Hebrew word "Pesach", transliterated into Russian as "Passover", means "to pass by". How this, exactly, had to be done is described in the Bible, in the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus, chapter 12: lamb for the family; but if the family is so small that it will not eat the lamb, then let him take with his neighbor who is nearest to his house, according to the number of souls: according to how much each one eats, count on the lamb.
You must have a lamb without blemish, male, one year old; take it from the sheep, or from the goats, and let it be kept with you until the fourteenth day of this month: then let the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel slaughter it in the evening, and let them take from its blood and anoint it on both the doorposts and on the lintel of the doors in the houses where will eat it; let them eat his meat this very night, baked in the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs let them eat it; do not eat from it half-cooked, or boiled in water, but eat baked on the fire, the head with the legs and entrails; do not leave him until the morning, and do not break his bones, but what is left of him until the morning you burn with fire.
So eat it like this: let your loins be girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staffs in your hands, and eat it with haste: this is the Passover of the Lord.”
What happened next?

Savior of his people

Pharaoh, in dismay at what had happened, let the Israelites go and they set off, but soon it seemed to Pharaoh that they were wandering aimlessly in the wilderness. It suddenly seemed to him that everything that had happened was a coincidence. And he - the "supreme god" of Egypt - misses the chance to take revenge on the Israelites, as it seemed to him, skillfully taking advantage of the circumstances. So he and his servants said, “What have we done? Why did they let the Israelites go so they wouldn’t work for us?” - Bible, Old Testament, Exodus 14th chapter, 3rd to 5th texts.
In addition, the loss of the slave people was a heavy economic blow to Egypt.
Pharaoh mobilized his army and pursued Israel all the way to Pi-Gahiroth.

“Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and took his people with him; and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and leaders over them all.
And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and his servants, and he pursued the children of Israel; but the sons of Israel walked under a high hand.
And the Egyptians chased after them, and all the horses with Pharaoh's chariots, and the horsemen, and all his army, and overtook them located by the sea, at Pi-Gahiroth before Baal-Zephon ”- Bible, Old Testament, Book of Exodus, 14th chapter , from the 6th to the 9th texts.
Militarily, the situation seemed advantageous to the Egyptians, because the Israelites were between the sea and the mountains. But Jehovah, in order to protect the Israelites, formed a cloud between them and the Egyptians. For the Egyptian side, it was ‘cloud and darkness’ that prevented them from attacking the Israelites. For the other side, for the Israelites, the cloud was the light 'illuminating the night'.
“Pharaoh drew near, and the children of Israel looked back, and, behold, the Egyptians came after them: and they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried to the Lord, and said to Moses, Are there no tombs in Egypt, that you have brought us to die in the wilderness? what have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?
Isn't that what we said to you in Egypt, saying: leave us, let us work for the Egyptians? For it is better for us to be in bondage to the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.
But Moses said to the people: Fear not, stand still, and you will see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again; The Lord will fight for you, and you be calm.
And the Lord said to Moses, Why are you crying to me? tell the children of Israel to go, and you lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it, and the children of Israel will pass through the midst of the sea on dry land; But I will harden the heart of Pharaoh and all the Egyptians, and they will follow them; and I will show My glory on Pharaoh and on all his army, on his chariots and on his horsemen; and all the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord Jehovah, when I show my glory on Pharaoh, on his chariots, and on his horsemen. And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of the sons of Israel, moved, and went behind them; the pillar of cloud also moved away from their face and stood behind them; and entered into the middle between the camp of Egypt and between the camp of the sons of Israel, and was a cloud and darkness for some, and illuminated the night for others, and they did not come close to each other all the night ”- Bible, Old Testament, book of Exodus, 14th chapter, from the 10th to the 20th texts.
The Egyptians set out to plunder and destroy, but the cloud prevented them from doing so.
“He said: I will chase, I will overtake, I will divide the prey; my soul will be satisfied with them, I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them ”- Bible, Old Testament, Exodus 15th chapter, 9th text.
When it dissipated - lo and behold! The waters of the Red Sea parted, and the Israelites crossed it, crossing to the other side - to dry land! Pharaoh and his army rushed noisily along the seabed, determined to capture and rob their former slaves. But the arrogant ruler of Egypt underestimated the God of the Jews. Jehovah confused the Egyptians by causing their chariot wheels to fall off.
“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea with a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters parted.
And the sons of Israel went in the midst of the sea on dry land: and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
The Egyptians pursued, and all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen entered after them into the midst of the sea.
And in the morning watch the Lord looked upon the camp of the Egyptians from a pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the camp of the Egyptians into confusion; and took away the wheels from their chariots, so that they dragged them with difficulty. And the Egyptians said: Let us flee from the Israelites, because the Lord will fight for them against the Egyptians.
“Let us flee from the Israelites, because Jehovah will fight for them against the Egyptians!” shouted the strong men of Egypt. Pharaoh and his warriors realized this too late. Being safe on the other side of the sea, Moses stretched out his hand to the sea, and the waters returned to their original place, drowning Pharaoh and his army.
“And the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord will fight for them against the Egyptians.
And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand over the sea, and let the waters turn upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and by morning the water returned to its place; and the Egyptians ran towards [the water]. Thus the Lord drowned the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
And the water returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen of all Pharaoh's army that went into the sea after them; not a single one of them was left” - Bible, Old Testament, Exodus 14th chapter, 25b to 28th texts.

Lessons learned from the experience

So who is Jehovah? The proud pharaoh knew the answer to that question. Events in Egypt clearly demonstrated that Jehovah is the only true God who is completely different from the “idols” of the nations.—Psalm 96:4, 5. By his awe-inspiring power, Jehovah “created the heavens and the earth.” He is also the Great Deliverer, the One who ‘brought up his people Israel out of the land of Egypt by signs and wonders, and with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm in great terror’ (Jeremiah 32:17–21). What a convincing proof that Jehovah can protect his people!
These lessons the pharaoh learned the hard way. The last lesson, in fact, cost him his life (Psalm 136:1, 15). It would have been much wiser of him if he had shown humility when he asked, “Who is Jehovah?” Then this ruler could act in accordance with the received answer. Fortunately, many humble people today are learning who Jehovah is. Thinking about what kind of person He has, what requirements He has for us - will increase your love and respect for the One Whose name is Jehovah!
“And the Lord said to Moses: I will pass all my glory before you and proclaim the name of Jehovah before you, and whom I have mercy on, I will have mercy, whom I have pity on, I will pity” - Bible, Old Testament, Book of Exodus, 33rd chapter, 19th text.

Back to Easter

From the Bible we learn when it was necessary to celebrate Easter. It was the 14th day of the first month.
“On the tenth day of this month, let them each take one lamb for themselves, according to families, one lamb per family; but if the family is so small that it will not eat the lamb, then let him take with his neighbor who is nearest to his house, according to the number of souls: according to how much each one eats, count on the lamb.
You must have a lamb without blemish, male, one year old; take it from the sheep, or from the goats, and let it be kept with you until the fourteenth day of this month ”- Bible, Old Testament, Exodus 12th chapter, from 3-b to 6-a texts.
So, it was necessary to take a lamb - a one-year-old, without blemish, male.
Further, the biblical book of Exodus indicates further actions: “then let the whole congregation of the society of Israel slaughter him in the evening, and let them take from his blood and anoint it on both jambs and on the crossbar of the doors in the houses where they will eat it; let them eat his meat this very night, baked in the fire; with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs let them eat it; do not eat from it half-cooked, or boiled in water, but eat baked on the fire, the head with the legs and entrails; do not leave him until the morning [and do not break his bones], but what is left of him until the morning you burn with fire.”
Eat it like this: let your loins be girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staffs in your hands, and eat it with haste: this is the Passover of the Lord.
We see that this lamb had to be slaughtered, baked on fire and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and the rest of it should be burned in the fire. It is not unimportant to anoint the crossbar and doorposts with blood.
FAITH, in this God-ordained ritual, in the BLOOD and BODY of the lamb, saved people's lives.
God commanded that this ritual be repeated by the Israelites every year: celebrate it as an eternal institution”; “Fulfill this ordinance at the appointed time, from year to year” - Bible, Old Testament, book of Exodus, 12th chapter, 14th text and 13th chapter, 10th text.
The Israelites followed exactly this ritual, according to the custom given by God.
However, we will not notice here either a rich cake baked from leavened dough, as they do here, or eggs, or visiting the graves of deceased loved ones ...
This feast was prophetic and led us to believe that we would be saved through faith in the blood and body of the lamb. Who is this lamb?

Here is what John the Baptist said about Jesus Christ: “The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” - Bible, New Testament, Gospel of John, 1st chapter, 29 text.
“And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb, as it were slain” - Bible, New Testament, Revelation of John the Theologian, 14th chapter, 1st text.
The Bible compares Jesus Christ with a lamb: “And I looked, and, behold, the Lamb stood on Mount Zion” - Bible, New Testament, Revelation of John the Theologian, 14th chapter, 1st text.
Through faith in His shed precious blood and His slain perfect body, we can be saved!
The Apostle Paul pointed directly to the fulfillment on Jesus Christ of that prophetic shadow that Jesus Christ fulfilled: “Purge, therefore, the old leaven, that you may be a new dough, since you are without leaven, for our Passover, Christ, was slain for us” - Bible, New Testament , 1st Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, 5th chapter, 7th text.
Our Easter is Jesus Christ!
He himself emphasized this fact when, before his death, he established for his followers the Lord's Supper, the Supper of remembrance of His death, and when he gave the symbols of his body and blood to be eaten by his disciples, just as the Jews for centuries ate a literal lamb and used the blood to anoint the door in their house: “And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and having blessed it, broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said, Take, eat: this is my body.
And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: drink from it all, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. th to 28th text; Gospel of Mark, chapter 14, from the 22nd to the 24th text; Gospel of Luke, 22nd chapter, from the 19th to the 20th text.
The Apostle Paul repeated the evangelists in his 1st letter to the Corinthians, in the 11th chapter, from the 23rd to the 26th texts:
“For I received from the Lord Himself what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me.
Also the cup after supper, and said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."
When did Jesus Christ give his life to atone for our sins?
The date this happened is Nisan 14, AD 33. That is, exactly on the day when the Israelites celebrated Passover.

We again see that there is no talk of any rich breads and eggs!

What and how, based on the words of Jesus, should His followers celebrate?

A meal, or meal, held in memory of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only event that, according to the Bible, Christians should celebrate. The Supper or Supper of the Lord is also called the Supper of Remembrance, or sometimes the "Lord's Supper" (1 Corinthians 11:20 JB).
The Supper of the Lord that Jesus introduced!
When was it introduced? Passover was always celebrated on Nisan 14 (Aviv), the day of the full moon, because according to the Jewish calendar, the first day of each (lunar) month was considered the day when people noticed the new moon. Therefore, the 14th day of the month fell approximately in its middle.

On the evening before his death, Jesus celebrated the Passover for the last time and thereafter introduced the Lord's Supper or Vespers. He released Judas, who had become a traitor, even before the start of the Supper. According to the gospel, then “it was already night” (John 13:30). Since according to the Jewish calendar, the day began in the evening of one day and ended in the evening of the next day.

The first day of the full moon after the spring solstice, which usually happens on March 21, falls on April 14 in 2014, April 3 in 2015, and March 23 in 2016, after sunset, since the Jewish day began in the evening. And not April 20, 2014, April 12, 2015 and May 1, 2016, as the so-called " christian churches"- these dates do not correspond to Nisan 14!

What then do we celebrate?

A large place in the national Easter holidays is occupied by the motives of the resurrection of the SUN, the renewal and prosperity of nature.
Due to the fact that religions, including Christianity, did not support true God, but became a political tool for containing and controlling the masses, many pagan or folk traditions and customs. Today, practically universally recognized Christianity has become a performer of the traditions and rituals of the ethnic groups in which it is widespread!
The custom of baking fermented bread in the form of a phalos originated as a symbol of fertility at the Fertility Festival. Eggs were added to phal-like Easter cakes.
In the spring, Great Day was celebrated. Velikden in Rus' is also a holiday of spring resurrection, the renewal of nature, which was celebrated with the advent of the vernal equinox back in pre-Christian times.
In mid-April (according to the modern calendar), the Slavic-Aryans celebrated the end of the wedding of heaven and earth, the onset of spring, the feast of the opening of the earth and its readiness for sowing, in other words, the FESTIVAL OF FERTILITY. This holiday symbolized the beginning of a new life, the conception of nature and the beginning of crops. On the days of the holiday, round dances were led in the fields, which, allegedly, energetically helped the earth to recharge with positive energy and bring more harvest. On the day of the fertility festival, the man would take the woman out into the field, where they would have sexual intercourse. The man finished on the field (land), thus, as it were, fertilizing it. After that, it was customary to bake KULICHI as a symbol of male strength and fertility (which is why it has an elongated shape and it is customary to pour white cream from beaten eggs on top of it) and a cottage cheese pie, which is now called EASTER, as a symbol of female fertility. The symbol of male power and fertility among the Slavs is denoted by the word KOL (direct translation - rod), female power - by the word KOLO (circle), hence the form of treats.
And again we see that the traditions and customs of our ancestors live firmly in the memory of the people and, in spite of any religion, these traditions have not been eradicated, but passed into the so-called Christianity!
Where did the custom to clean the graves of the dead and visit the ancestors in cemeteries come from?
Again, according to the Slavic calendar, if translated into a modern way, in early April there is a holiday called the Day of Remembrance of the Ancestors. On this day, services are performed at all cemeteries and graveyards, cleanliness and order are brought to the graves and burial mounds. In addition to gifts and requirements for dead ancestors, sacred fires (candles, lamps, firelights) are lit at their last refuge.
According to another tradition, the Week before Easter or Red Week, and in the Belarusian Polissya retained the ancient name Rusalnaya. Among the people, this week had many names - Russian Red, Chervonaya, Great, Holy Week, Ukrainian. White day, Clean day, Belarusian. Russian week.
According to Slavic traditions, on one of the days preceding Easter or immediately following it, the ancestors return to earth, where they stay for some time. They prepared for the celebration throughout Red Week - from Monday to Saturday. The main preparations have been since Thursday (now called Maundy Thursday) on Saturday. All week we diligently prepared for the holiday: we washed tables, benches, benches, windows, doors. They whitewashed the stove, and even the walls. Scraping, washing the floor, shaking out the rugs, washing the dishes. From Thursday to Saturday, cooking took place on the stove and in the yard: the housewives baked Easter cakes, dyed eggs, baked meat; men set up swings, prepared firewood for the holiday, etc. The villagers tried to be laconic. As during the entire Lent, loud street singing was avoided, there were no street games and round dances.
And today, just a week before Easter, every housewife tries to put her house and yard in order: sweep everything, rake, clean, bleach, rewash, wash ...

The clergy themselves speak negatively about the ancient traditions of our ancestors: “... the consecration of Easter cake on the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ is a historical mistake, this is one of the signs of religious illiteracy. This is an absurd fusion of the State Church and ancient pagan rites in the 4th century.”
"Kulich, like tall bread with eggs, is a well-known pagan symbol of the god of fruit-bearing Phalos."
“There are no church prescriptions about such nonsense when someone has Easter cakes and a dyed egg, because neither Easter cake nor egg have anything to do with the Resurrection of Christ. This is just our domestic, folk, peasant, time-honored custom,” the archpriest explained.
Published on Korrespondent.net on April 21, 2011 under the title "Orthodox Church insists that trips to the cemetery on Easter are not a Christian tradition."
Also, the date of the celebration of Easter varies among different "Christian" movements: Catholic Easter in 45% of cases a week earlier than Orthodox, in 30% of cases it coincides, 5% - a difference of 4 weeks, and 20% - a difference of 5 weeks (more than the lunar cycle) . There is no difference between 2 and 3 weeks.
Because different formulas for calculating the day of Easter are used - different from the Biblical ones!

Life saving blood
Then, in Egypt, the blood of the lamb played a decisive role in salvation. When Jehovah struck down the firstborn, he passed by houses with blood on their doorposts. In addition, the Jews did not mourn the death of their firstborn and therefore were able to make the passage through the Red Sea to freedom.
Today, the celebration of the Supper of Remembrance should focus on the death of Jesus and its significance for mankind. This event should be celebrated seriously and serve as a time to reflect on the goodness of God and the appreciation we should have for Jehovah and his Son.​—Romans 5:8; Titus 2:14; 1 John 4:9, 10. Therefore, Paul warned, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27).

Decent - what does that mean?
Obviously, God would not like it if we defiled this event by participating in dubious rituals or adopting pagan customs.
“Pure and undefiled piety before God and the Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
“Ask and you do not receive, because you do not ask for good, but to use it for your desires.
Adulterers and adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity against God? So whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy to God.” - Bible, New Testament, James, 1st chapter, 27th text and 4th chapter, 3rd and 4th texts.
Thus, this excludes the popular events inherent in the celebration of the Christian Easter. Following Jesus' command to "do this in remembrance of him," we would like to celebrate the Supper exactly as Jesus commanded (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24, 25). This excludes the holding of ceremonies brought into the celebration by the churches of Christendom. The New Catholic Encyclopedia acknowledges that "the modern Mass is very different from the extremely simple ceremony followed by Christ and His Apostles." By celebrating Mass frequently, even daily, Christendom has deviated from what Jesus meant and made it commonplace.
Paul wrote to Christians living in Corinth about unworthy participation in the celebration because there was a problem with the Lord's Supper in that congregation. Some of the Corinthian Christians did not respect the sacredness of this holiday. They brought dinner with them and ate before or during the meeting. Often they ate and drank too much. This made them sleepy and dulled their senses. Not awake either mentally or spiritually, these Christians could not "discourse on the Body of the Lord" and therefore became "guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord." Meanwhile, those who did not eat dinner were hungry and also distracted. In fact, none of them was able to accept the symbols with gratitude and with full awareness of the importance of the event - that this celebration was held in memory of the death of the Lord. Therefore, showing disrespect, even contempt for the death of Jesus, Christians from Corinth were condemned.
“Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord.
Let a man examine himself, and thus let him eat from this bread and drink from this cup.
For whoever eats and drinks unworthily, he eats and drinks condemnation to himself, not considering the Body of the Lord. That is why many of you are weak and sick, and many are dying.
For if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.
Being judged, we are punished by the Lord, so as not to be condemned with the world.
Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to supper, wait for one another.
And if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not gather for condemnation. The rest I will arrange when I come” - Bible, New Testament, 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, 11th chapter, from the 27th to the 34th text.

FIRST EXECUTION: WATER TURNED TO BLOOD

Exodus 7:19-25 And Aaron lifted up the rod and struck the water of the river before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all the water in the river turned to blood, and the fish in the river died out, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water from the river; and there was blood over all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did the same with their charms. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened...

Against what was this execution directed?

The Nile River was considered one of the deities of Egypt, to whom Egypt owed its birth, existence and prosperity.
"IN Ancient Egypt The Nile, the "great river", has always been the source of life, the common property of the two lands - Upper and Lower Egypt. Herodotus' saying is widely known: "Egypt is the gift of the Nile". Many texts emphasize the cosmic nature of the Nile, its underground and heavenly character.

There were performances according to which the boat of the Sun floats along the heavenly Nile during the day. There is also the Nile underground, along which the Sun, having descended beyond the horizon, travels at night. The image of the underground Nile was closely associated with death, with the souls of the dead and their judgment in the afterlife. Turning to God, the Egyptian said: "You created the Nile in the underworld and brought it to earth at your will, in order to prolong the life of people, just as you gave them life by creating them."

The god Hapi (who was depicted as a fat man with vessels in his hands from which water flows) was an image of the Nile flowing on earth. He was revered as "the high Nile, which gives life to the whole country with its food," as the giver of moisture and harvest. According to legend, the cave from where the god watched over the river subject to him was located a little south of Aswan, on the island of Biga at the first threshold. The Nile itself was inhabited by good and evil deities in the form of animals: crocodiles, hippos, frogs, scorpions, snakes. Xapi's father was the primeval ocean Nun. The holiday dedicated to Khapi was timed to coincide with the beginning of the flood of the Nile. On this day, sacrifices were made to him, papyrus scrolls with listings of gifts were thrown into the river.

Another deity of the Nile, Khnum (who was revered by the Egyptians as a creator god who created a man on a potter's wheel) was also considered the guardian of the sources of the Nile and was depicted as a man with a ram's head with spirally twisted horns. Other deity- Sebek - in Egyptian mythology was considered the god of water and the flood of the Nile. Since his sacred animal was the crocodile, he was most often depicted as a crocodile man or a man with the head of a crocodile.

The Egyptians worshiped not only the Nile and the patron idols of the Nile, but also to some individuals of fish that were found in this river.
To shame all these Egyptian deities, the Lord God turned the water of the Nile into blood, and as a result, the water became unfit for drinking and irrigating the land, and all the fish died out.

Attention should be paid to the fact that the Egyptian sorcerers were able to repeat this miracle with their witchcraft powers, which contributed to the hardening of the pharaoh's heart and doubled the gravity of this execution.

SECOND EXECUTION: TOADS

Exodus 8:1-14“And the Lord said to Moses: Go to Pharaoh and say to him: Thus says the Lord: Let My people go, that they may serve Me; if you do not agree to let go, then here, I infect your whole area with frogs; and the river shall swell with frogs, and they shall come out and enter into your house, and into your bedroom, and into your bed, and into the houses of your servants, and into your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneaders, and upon you, and upon the people yours, and frogs will come up on all your servants. And the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams, and over the lakes, and bring out the frogs into the land of Egypt. Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came out and covered the land of Egypt.

“In ancient Egypt, with the head of a frog (or b) depicted the male primary deities of the Germanic Ogdoada - the great eight of the original deities. The forces of primordial Chaos were opposed by creative forces - four pairs of deities, personifying the elements. The male deities of the figure eight - Huk (Infinity), Nun (Water), Kuk (Darkness) and Amon ("Invisible", that is, Air) - had the appearance of people with the heads of frogs. They corresponded to female deities with snake heads.

Frogs were credited with power over spills Nile, on which the harvest depended. Small frogs appeared in the river a few days before its flood and therefore were considered the heralds of fertility. In addition, in Egypt there was a belief that the frog had the ability of spontaneous generation, so it was associated with the afterlife cult and resurrection after death. She was considered a sacred animal of the ancient Egyptian fertility goddess Heket, one of the symbols of immortality. [Since her sacred animal is a frog, she was depicted as a frog or a woman with a frog on her head.]. The frog goddess helped women in childbirth, and in the afterlife - the resurrection of the dead.

The Lord God laughed at the superstition Egyptians and over their deities, sending hordes of toads and frogs over all Egypt. At the word of Moses, frogs came out of the Nile River and filled all the dwellings of the Egyptians.

Wizards were also able to imitate this miracle, but since they could not rid the country of the invasion of frogs, Pharaoh became convinced of God's superiority and even asked Moses and Aaron to pray for him and even promised Moses that he would let the people of Israel go into the wilderness for a while: verse 8 "And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, Pray to the Lord that he remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people of Israel go to sacrifice to the Lord. But then he hardened his heart and changed his mind.

THIRD EXECUTION: MOSHKI

Exodus 8:15-19 « And Pharaoh saw that there was relief, and hardened his heart, and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. And the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, and the dust will become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt. And so they did: Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and midges appeared on people and on cattle. All the dust of the earth became midges throughout the land of Egypt. The magicians also tried to produce midges with their charms, but they could not. And there were midges on people and on cattle. And the wise men said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said."

What were these midges? Theologians are divided. According to the Septuagint translation (Greek translation of the Old Testament), at the blow of the rod, many "sknips" appeared from the ground. This is how it is written in Psalm 104:31 "He said, and various insects came, sknips in all their borders." In the old days, lice were called sknips in Rus'. It was a translation from the biblical original, where the word "kinnim" is used.

ancient greek philosophers Philo and Origen believed that these were midges and mosquitoes - a common scourge of Egypt during periods of flooding of the Nile. Other philosophers and researchers (such as Josephus Flavius) adhere to a different point of view, understanding the word "kinnim" as lice or fleas. This is how this word is translated from Syriac and Arabic.

In accordance with the Explanatory Bible of Lopukhin,“Kinnim, according to the biblical story, are brought out of the dust of the earth, while mosquitoes appear “out of the water” regarding mosquitoes, it cannot be said that they “appeared on people and on cattle” (verse 17); finally, in the Talmud the word "kinna" means "louse". The reading of LXX - “sknifeV” does not contradict such an understanding. The use of this expression by the ancient Greek authors - Theophrastus, Aetius, Aristophanes shows that this term means both grass louse, and worms, and fleas.

Anyway, this execution was aimed at shaming the Egyptian deities of earth, sky, air and health, who were unable to protect the people and cattle of Egypt from the invasion of midges.

The sorcerers could not reproduce this miracle and signed their impotence, recognizing this execution as "the finger of God." They stopped competing with Moses, recognized the power of God, and therefore began to advise Pharaoh to let the Jews go at the word of Moses.

FOURTH EXECUTION: DOG FLY

Exodus 8:20-32“And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise early tomorrow and appear before Pharaoh. Behold, he will go to the water, and you shall say to him: Thus says the Lord: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. but if you do not let my people go, then, behold, I will send flies on you and on your servants and on your people and on your houses, and the houses of the Egyptians will be filled with flies and the very land on which they live; And in that day I will separate the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, and there will be no flies, so that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth; I will make a division between my people and your people.

Tomorrow there will be a sign. And so the Lord did: a multitude of dog flies flew into the house of Pharaoh, and into the houses of his servants, and over all the land of Egypt: the land perished from dog flies. And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, Go, offer sacrifice to your God in this land. But Moses said: this cannot be done, for our sacrifice to the Lord our God is disgusting for the Egyptians: if we begin to offer a sacrifice disgusting for the Egyptians in their eyes, will they not stone us? we will go into the wilderness, three days' journey, and offer sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he will tell us.

And Pharaoh said: I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but do not go far; pray for me. Moses said: behold, I will go out from you and pray to the Lord, and the dog flies will be removed from Pharaoh, and from his servants, and from his people tomorrow, only let Pharaoh stop deceiving, not letting the people offer sacrifice to the Lord. And Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses and removed the flies from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people: not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart and this time did not let the people go.

Clouds of these flies covered the people and filled the houses of the Egyptians.“According to Philo, the insect that served as the instrument of the fourth execution combined the properties of flies and dogs, was distinguished by ferocity and persistence. From afar, like an arrow, it rushed at a person or animal and, rapidly attacking, dug into the body with a sting and, as it were, stuck to it ”(Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible). Most likely, the dog flies mean gadflies that haunted the Egyptians and their herds of animals.

The main lesson of this execution was that God openly revealed to Pharaoh and all the Egyptians the difference between them and the Jews. Dog flies were everywhere, except for the region of Goshen, in which the Jews lived; they were in every house except the houses of the Israelites: verses 22-23 “... that day I will separate the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, and there will be no flies, so that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth; I will make a division between my people and your people."

Such a division between the two peoples and their areas of residence in Egypt showed the pharaoh that the God of Israel is the Lord who sent the Egyptian executions, and that it is He who is the God over Egypt, surpassing all Egyptian deities and idols in strength and power.

FIFTH EXECUTION: PETITION PULSE

Exodus 9:1-7 " And the Lord said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh and say to him: Thus says the Lord, the God of the Jews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me; for if you do not want to let go and still hold on to him, then, behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your livestock, which is in the field, on horses, on donkeys, on camels, on oxen and sheep: there will be a pestilence very heavy; and the Lord shall divide between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and of all the cattle of the sons of Israel not one shall die.

And the Lord appointed a time saying, Tomorrow the Lord will do it in this land. And the Lord did this the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died out; none of the livestock of the children of Israel died. Pharaoh sent to find out, and behold, none of the livestock of Israel died. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go."

Pestilence is a disease of animals. A big blow to the Egyptian gods. The bull and cow were considered the main deities of the Egyptians and were the sacred animals of Egypt. They offered sacrifices and incense. The bull was kept in luxury in many Egyptian temples. After the death of such a bull, they embalmed and with a ceremony befitting only a king, they buried it in a magnificent sarcophagus.

In addition, many Egyptian deities were depicted with the head or body of a calf or cow. So, Apis was considered the god of fertility; he was depicted as a bull with a solar disk. Amon, being the patron of the city of Thebes, was also the god of air and harvest, the creator of the world; depicted with the head of a man, and sometimes a bull or a ram, with a two-pronged crown and a long scepter in his hand. The goddess Isis was often depicted as a woman with the horns of a cow and a solar disk on her forehead, holding a papyrus stalk in her hand.

Hathor - goddess of love and destiny sky goddess; nurse of the pharaohs and ruler of distant lands. Depicted as a cow or a woman with cow horns, sometimes with only one ear. In general, the Egyptians depicted many of their gods with the heads or bodies of animals. Against faith in these gods, the fifth execution was directed.

So, the animals of Egypt suffered a pestilence, but among the Israelites not a single animal died: Exodus 9:7 "Pharaoh sent to know, and behold, none of the cattle of Israel died." It is worth bearing in mind that the expression “all the cattle of Egypt died out” does not mean that literally all the cattle died out in Egypt. After all, the next sixth plague also touched the animals (verses 8-9). By the expression "all the livestock of Egypt died out" is meant all the livestock that was in the fields. He died from a pestilence. Moses warned Pharaoh about this in verse 3, “The hand of the Lord will be on your cattle that are in the field.”

SIXTH PENALTY: BURNS

Exodus 9:8-12“And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Take a full handful of ashes from the furnace, and let Moses throw it up to heaven in the eyes of Pharaoh; and dust will rise up over all the land of Egypt, and there will be inflammation on people and on cattle, with boils, in all the land of Egypt. They took the ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw it to heaven, and there was inflammation with boils on people and cattle. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the inflammation, because the inflammation was on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had told Moses."

Many theologians believe that it was something of black pox. This execution affected both people and animals, and even sorcerers after Moses threw the ashes to the sky at the word of the Lord God.

The order to throw up the ashes taken from the furnace is related to one of the ancient religious customs of Egypt. Ashes blown in the wind from the victims in honor of the god Seth (the god of evil and failure), according to the belief of the Egyptians, averted evil, the evil eye or damage from all those limits where he fell. But now abandoned by Moses to the sky the ashes spread, in denunciation of Egyptian superstition, not well-being and prosperity, but a curse from the God of Israel, and caused boils on the bodies of people and livestock.

Among other things, the fact that the sorcerers could not protect themselves and the pharaoh from abscesses on the body was evidence of the impotence of the Egyptian healing gods, led by Isis, who could not prevent the sixth plague sent to Egypt by the God of Israel.

SEVENTH EXECUTION: GRAD

It should be noted that it was not just hail, but a very large hail: presumably the size of an orange. In addition, this hail was accompanied by lightning. Lightning is spoken of as fire in Exodus 9:23-25 ​​“And Moses stretched out his rod to heaven, and the Lord brought forth thunder and hail, and fire poured over the earth; and the Lord sent hail into the land of Egypt; and there was hail and fire between the hail, a very strong hail, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since the time of its inhabitants.

Elsewhere it is directly written, that hail was accompanied by lightning: Psalm 77:47-49 gave up their livestock to hail and their flocks to lightning; He sent upon them the flame of His anger, and indignation, and fury, and disaster, an embassy of evil angels.

Before the hail went God gave the Egyptians a very merciful warning to gather their flocks and take them to a hiding place. And so hail fell in all of Egypt and beat everything: verse 25 “from man to cattle, and hail killed all the grass of the field, and broke all the trees in the field”, and in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bGoshen (or Goshen), where the Jews lived, there was no hail .

The amazing thing about this execution was that those of the Egyptians “who feared the word of the Lord, hastily gathered their servants and their flocks into their houses” (verse 20), and thus saved both their servants and cattle from destruction. Thereby The Lord God demonstrated to Pharaoh and all of Egypt that life awaits those who obey God, and death awaits those who oppose God.

Among other things, this execution was directed against the gods of sky, air, rain and fertility, who were fanatically worshiped by the Egyptians, led by the pharaoh, and who were unable to protect their people from this execution. However, Pharaoh hesitated and continued to harden his heart.

EIGHTH PENALTY: LOCUST

The locust punishment was one of the worst. The locusts swooped in in great clouds and ate all the greenery that survived the seventh plague. And at the end of the day, locusts covered the ground 12 cm thick with a stench.

This execution was primarily directed against the gods of the earth, harvest and fertility. Here are just a few of them: Osiris - the god of the vital forces of nature and fertility, the lord of the underworld; Ptah (Pta) - the god of fertility of the earth; Apis - a symbol of fertility; Ming is the god of fertility, the producer of crops; Nehebkau is the god of time, fertility and the giver of food. The Egyptians saw that all these numerous deities were not able to protect their people from the next execution of the God of Israel, as a result of which the whole country was left without a harvest and was practically doomed to a terrible famine.

After that, even the pharaoh's servants convinced of the need to let the Jews go: Exodus 10:7 “Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, How long will he torment us? let these people go, let them serve the Lord their God; do you still not see that Egypt is perishing?” The sudden appearance and disappearance of plagues on such a vast scale, according to the word of Moses, served as proof of the power and might of God.

A striking achievement of this execution was the recognition by the pharaoh of his own impotence and sinfulness before the God of Israel, as well as the impotence of the Egyptian gods to protect their gardens and fields from the invasion of locusts: “ Pharaoh Hastily Called Moses and Aaron and said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you; Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the Lord your God that He only turn away this death from me” (Imhod 10:16-17).

NINTH EXECUTION: DENSE DARKNESS

Exodus 10:21-27“And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch out your hand to heaven, and there will be darkness in the land of Egypt, palpable darkness. Moses stretched out his hand to heaven, and there was thick darkness over all the land of Egypt for three days; did not see each other, and no one got up from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. Pharaoh called Moses and said: go, serve the Lord, let only your flocks and cattle remain, and let your children go with you.

But Moses said: also give into our hands our sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer to the Lord our God; let our herds go with us, not a hoof will be left; for we will take of them as a sacrifice to the Lord our God; but until we get there, we do not know what to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord. And the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go."

Having punished Egypt with darkness, God belittled and laughed at the Egyptian deity Ra, the god of the sun. Midnight darkness over Egypt lasted three days. And where Israel lived, it was light. “The three days of darkness that enveloped Egypt served as obvious proof of the impotence of the supreme god Ra, the god of the sun, who now obeyed the will of the Almighty and was unable to give his admirers at least a particle of light ”(Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible).

In addition to the supreme god Ra, other gods of the sun and light were also put to shame, such as: Aten - the god of the sun, was depicted as a solar disk, the rays of which ended with open palms. Horus (Horus) acted in two guises: as the lord of heaven, the king of the gods, the god of the Sun, and also as the earthly king, the pharaoh. He was depicted as a falcon, a man with a falcon's head, a winged sun. Its symbol is a solar disk with outstretched wings.

Atum is the god of the evening setting sun. Khepri is the god of the morning, rising sun (as opposed to Ra - daytime and Atum - evening). Mnevis - a deity in the form of a black bull - was revered as a living embodiment of the sun god and was depicted with a solar disk between the horns.

TENTH EXECUTION: DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN

This was the worst punishment for the Egyptians. But if not for this execution, then the Jews would today were slaves in Egypt.
The tenth plague was directed firstly at the protector gods of the pharaoh (such as the god Horus and the goddesses Satis, Sikhmet and Uto), as well as the last deity of Egypt - the pharaoh.

“The pharaohs were the “servants of Horus”, the successors of his power over Egypt. Horus protects the king with his wings (on the statue of Pharaoh Khafre, a falcon is depicted on the back of the head, covering his head with wings). The name of Horus was included as an obligatory component in the five-term title of the pharaoh"

Since ancient times, the pharaohs were revered as gods. And many Egyptian gods were considered pharaohs in the past (such as Min and Horus).

But the Lord dispelled the superstition that the pharaohs are or become gods. The failure of the pharaoh to protect his people and his own family from the death of his firstborn belied the pharaoh's claims to the title of god.

Among other things, the tenth plague, according to many theologians, is the revenge of the Lord God for all Israeli babies killed in Egypt.

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