Exodus, the 7th book of the Old Testament in the Bible, is primarily concerned with 3 things. They are:1. God’s protection and deliverance of his people Israel from Egyptian bondage – The first 10 of 40 chapters! 2. Ten Plagues visited on the Egyptians – The next 25 chapters! And 3. The passing over (of some) and destruction (of others) in the death of the Egyptian first-born – eight and ninth plague chapters.
The 7th plague on Egypt by God is described in the Bible in both Exodus and in the book of Psalms. It also describes other plagues or has a direct connection to other plagues, such as the frogs and boils. The mighty hand of God himself (or himself through Moses) performs all these plagues, causing an unprecedented upheaval in Egypt.
The 7th plague in the bible was the plague of hail, which fell on Egypt for seven days and nights. It was sent by God to punish the Egyptians for their cruelty towards the Israelites. It is described in Exodus 9:23-25: “So Moses stretched out his rod over Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning the east wind had brought a thick darkness over the land. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.’ But Moses said, ‘It would not be right to do so, for we ought to sacrifice to the Lord our God something he can accept.’ And Pharaoh said, ‘I will let you sacrifice to God as you desire.’ Then Moses said: ‘The Lord will let us know what route we should take.’ So they set out from Rameses for Succoth.” The Bible tells us that this plague was accompanied by thunderings and lightnings, as well as an extremely loud trumpet blast. You can read more about this plague here.
7th Plague In The Bible
7th plague in the bible
The 7 plagues of Egypt were a series of disasters that were sent to Egypt by God as punishment for Pharaoh’s refusal to release the Israelites from their bondage. The plagues were meant to impress upon Pharaoh the power of God and to convince him that he could not resist His will.
The first plague (Exodus 7:14-25) was turning the waters of the Nile into blood, so that it was undrinkable and all aquatic creatures died. The second plague (Exodus 8:1-15) was frogs; they covered the land, houses and people. The third plague (Exodus 8:16-19) was gnats; they swarmed in such vast numbers that they made life miserable for everyone. The fourth plague (Exodus 9:1-7) was flies; they covered everything and made life unbearable. The fifth plague (Exodus 10:1-20) was boils; boils broke out on man and beast alike, resulting in death among both animals and humans. The sixth plague (Exodus 11:1-10) was hail; hail stones fell which killed all plants that were growing at that time, making it impossible for people to live off
The 7th plague in the Bible is the 7th of 10 plagues that God sent upon Egypt during the exodus. It is the last plague before God finally allowed for the Israelites to leave Egypt.
The 7th plague was a killing of all animals in Egypt, except for those belonging to the Israelites.
This plague was followed by the death of Pharaoh, who refused to let God’s people go. The death of Pharaoh marks the end of Egyptian rule over the Israelites and their freedom from slavery.
The 7th plague is the most significant plague in the bible. It is a great disaster that happened at the time of Moses and Aaron, during the reign of Pharoah.
The 7th plague was the death of all firstborns in Egypt. The Pharaoh’s firstborn son died; so did all other firstborns in every Egyptian family. This caused a lot of panic among Egyptians as they were afraid that their sons would die as well. So Pharaoh called for Moses and told him to pray for mercy and release from this plague.
Moses prayed for God’s forgiveness and mercy. As a result, the Lord removed this plague from the whole land of Egypt; but there was still another plague left (the 8th one).
The 7th Plague is the plague of hail, that God sent to Egypt. This plague started at the end of the 2nd day and lasted until the end of the 11th day.
This plague was only sent upon Egypt and not anywhere else. This was because all their neighbors were afraid of them, so they didn’t come to help them out. The Lord told Moses to tell Pharaoh that if he would let his people go, then he would not send any more plagues upon him. But Pharaoh refused to let them go, so God continued with His plagues.
The 7th plague in the bible was the death of the firstborn.
The 7th plague in the bible is the death of the firstborn. This plague was brought upon Egypt by God as a punishment for their refusal to free Israel and let them go. God told Moses to tell Pharaoh that he could choose between having his people killed by God, or to have them kill each other.
Moses said “And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.” Exodus 11:8-10
Pharaoh wouldn’t listen, so God sent this plague upon him and his people. It happened at midnight on Nisan 15 (the same night as Passover). The Angel of Death would visit every home where there were children under age 2 and kill them by dipping his finger in blood from an animal sacrifice and smearing it on their doorposts and lintel (door frame). He would also pass over anyone whose house had blood on their doorposts
The First Plague Is Turning The Nile River Into Blood.
The first plague is turning the Nile River into blood.
The Nile River is one of the most important sources of water and food for Egypt, as well as being a source of life for its people. When Moses turns it into blood, it destroys the Egyptians’ livelihoods and makes them suffer greatly.
Since fish are an important source of food for Egyptian peasants (who make up 99% of Egypt’s population), this plague devastates their economy as well as their health. They can no longer work or eat without dying from starvation or disease!
Plague of frogs is the second plagues.
Frogs are an important symbol in the Bible. They were considered to be a sign of fertility and abundance, so when they appeared all over the land, it showed that the gods were displeased with the actions of Pharaoh. Frogs can be hard to get rid of, which may be why this was such an effective plague for God to use against Egypt.
The third plague on Egypt was lice or gnats.
The third plague on Egypt was lice or gnats. This punishment was a judgment by God against the gods of Egypt and their people, just as the first two plagues were. It is possible that this plague was different from fleas and flies because the word translated “lice” or “gnats” in some translations does not mean either term exclusively, but rather refers to any kind of insect; so perhaps this plague included both fleas and flies.
The Bible tells us that two months passed between when Pharaoh refused to let Israel leave Egypt (Exodus 8:1) and when he finally allowed them to go (Exodus 10:5). So if we assume Moses’ sixty-day estimate for each plague took place over two months (in reality it probably took less time), then there were three plagues total: water turned into blood on day one; frogs on day seven; locusts on day fourteen; hail stones on day twenty-one; darkness for three days starting around midnight on day twenty-seven (this would be lasted until around noon); then locusts again followed by darkness starting at sunset on day thirty-one until sunrise again forty-five days later!
The fourth plague of Egypt was swarms of flies.
The fourth plague of Egypt was swarms of flies. The Bible says the Lord told Moses to tell Pharaoh:
“You will go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried in a good old age.” It is a sign for you on your hand and frontlet between your eyes that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth. My servant Moses is not so much as one of the servants who are mine; I know every word he speaks before he speaks it, for I am with him all the time. (Exodus 4:14-16)
The fifth plague is the death of livestock in Egypt.
The fifth plague is the death of livestock in Egypt. Only Egyptian livestock died; Israelite livestock was spared from this plague. Livestock includes cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys and horses.
The animals did not die from boils or flies but rather a thick cloud that the Lord sent to cover over the land for three days. This cloud turned out to be locusts that appeared like smoke and darkened the sky. They destroyed all of Egypt’s crops and trees leaving nothing green behind them when they were finished eating everything they wanted (Exodus 10:15-20).
The sixth plague is boils that break out on humans and animals.
The first sign of boils is redness and swelling. The skin around the affected area may break open, discharge pus, or form solid lumps. The infection usually lasts two to four days. Bacterial infections can be prevented by careful hand washing after going to the bathroom and before eating food (or drinking liquids). It’s important to keep your hands away from your face when you’re sick because germs spread easily this way!
The best thing you can do if you think you have a boil is to see a doctor right away so they can prescribe treatment or help determine what caused it in the first place!
Hail mixed with fire is the seventh plague.
Locusts are the eighth plague on Egypt.
Locusts are a plague that can devastate crops and food supplies. They travel in swarms, which are millions of insects flying together. These swarms lay dormant for years and then emerge in large numbers to cause destruction wherever they go.
The Biblical account says that God sent the locusts to Egypt as a plague on several occasions, starting with the fourth plague (Exodus 10:4-6). Once they land on plants or crops, they devour everything in their path until nothing is left. Locusts can fly very far during one day and even further if there is enough food available for them to eat along their journey. The Bible also indicates that locust swarms were a sign of famine coming soon after they appeared (Ezekiel 5:12).
Darkness covers Egypt for three days during the ninth plague.
The ninth plague is one of the most terrifying, and it is also a supernatural darkness that covers Egypt for three days. The Bible says that this darkness “is so thick that people can feel it. It’s so thick they can taste it!”
The Bible doesn’t say how God produced this supernatural darkness, but we do know that He created light and darkness on the first day of creation (Genesis 1:3). This could mean He simply turned off the lights or maybe He did something more dramatic like stopped time or an eclipse. Whatever it was, when you picture yourself in ancient Egypt suddenly being engulfed in thick darkness as thick as molasses, you can understand why people might start running after Moses’ brother Aaron began calling out to them (Exodus 10:23).
If you were trapped in those dark days with your family and friends, wouldn’t you too run after someone telling you there’s salvation?
God strikes all firstborn Egyptian children during the 10th and last plague.
What’s more, God did not kill the firstborn Egyptian children. Instead, all of them died when He struck down every firstborn Egyptian child during the 10th and last plague.
The Israelites were instructed to mark their doors with blood so that God would “pass over” their houses and not strike them with death. They were also told to celebrate this event annually as a feast called Passover—a celebration which continues today in Judaism and Christianity alike.
Even innocent people suffer when punishments rain down upon sinners
God’s wrath, the 10 plagues of Egypt
The children of Israel were trapped in Egypt for many years. They had been there for 430 years when God told Moses to go speak with Pharaoh and ask that he let them go. But instead of obeying God, the Egyptians were cruel and made fun of the Hebrews’ God. This angered God so much that he sent plagues upon all of Egypt for seven days. The first nine plagues included frogs, lice, flies and locusts but then came a plague worse than any other—the death of every first-born child from one end of Egypt to another (Exodus 12:29). This punishment was meant as a sign from God showing how powerful he is (Exodus 12:12-13).
Each time this punishment fell upon an area they would cry out to Moses asking him what could be done so they wouldn’t have their children killed by this horrible plague anymore (Exodus 12:31). It wasn’t until after three days had passed since the last plague before Pharaoh finally agreed with Moses’ request allowing Israelite men only who were at least 20 years old to leave Egypt (Exodus 12:32-36).
What Are the Seven Last Plagues of Revelation?
Revelation speaks of seven last plagues that will come upon the earth at the end of this present age. What are these plagues, and why will God send them?
The end-time prophetic events recorded in the book of Revelation that will occur before and at the time of Christ’s return to earth are outlined by:
- Seven seals.
- Seven trumpet plagues.
- Seven last plagues.
The first four seals represent trends and plagues that have been continuing and intensifying through the years to our day.
All of the events from the fifth seal through the seven last plagues will occur in the final 3½ years before Christ’s return.
After all these plagues in Revelation, Jesus Christ will return to save humanity from self-destruction. Finally, the punishments will produce repentance, and people will turn to our Savior and King. Jesus Christ will bring peace, blessings and a perfect government.
How the seven seals in Revelation are related to the last seven plagues
The first five seals depict consequences for mankind’s sinful behaviors and Satan’s wrath toward the people of God and mankind in general. The sixth seal announces the soon-to-come wrath of God.
The seventh seal includes the wrath of God, which will be dispensed via seven trumpet plagues and then seven last plagues.
The seven last plagues: completing the wrath of God
These seven plagues complete the wrath of God.
As John wrote: “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete” (Revelation 15:1, emphasis added throughout).
The seven last plagues in Revelation are:
First plague: The contents of the first bowl will cause painful sores upon those “who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image” (Revelation 16:2). It appears these painful, open sores will be caused by some sort of skin disease or infection.
Second plague: When this bowl is poured out, the sea will become blood and cause all life in it to die (verse 3). The death of saltwater marine life will destroy a major food source for millions of people.
Third plague: After the third angel pours out its bowl, the rivers and springs of water will become blood (verse 4). This plague will destroy freshwater fish—even further impacting the food supply for millions of people.
Fourth plague: The fourth bowl will cause the sun to become so hot as “to scorch men with fire” (verse 8).
Fifth plague: This punishment will bring darkness, pains and sores (verses 10-11).
Sixth plague: The bowl containing this plague will be poured out on the Euphrates River, causing it to dry up and make land travel easier for the armies of “the kings of the earth and of the whole world” to assemble at Armageddon (the area of Megiddo, which is approximately 18 miles or 30 kilometers southeast of the modern city of Haifa). From this location, the assembled armies will then advance toward Jerusalem for a final battle against Jesus Christ (verses 12-16).
Seventh plague: This final plague will consist of “noises and thunderings and lightnings” and “such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth” (verse 18). Babylon, a powerful false religion, will fall (verse 19, compare Revelation 18:2) and there will be devastating hail, with hailstones weighing up to a “talent”—approximately 100 pounds (verse 21).
The last plagues of Revelation also called the bowls of wrath
Revelation 15:7 describes these seven last plagues as “golden bowls full of the wrath of God” to be poured out upon the earth. Some translations of the Bible, such as the King James Version and Young’s Literal Translation, use the word vial instead of bowl in this passage and in Revelation 16:1.
Albert Barnes in his Notes on the Bible states: “The word used here—φιάλη phialē—means properly, ‘a bowl or goblet, having more breadth than depth’ (Robinson, Lexicon). Our word vial, though derived from this, means rather a thin long bottle of glass, used particularly by apothecaries and druggists. The word would be better rendered by ‘bowl’ or ‘goblet,’ and probably the representation here was of such bowls as were used in the temple service. … The allusion seems to be to a drinking cup or goblet filled with poison, and given to persons to drink—an allusion drawn from one of the methods of punishment in ancient times” (comments on Revelation 15:7).
So these bowls (or vials) are imagery God uses to represent the seven last punishments that He will pour out on a sinful humanity.
Why does a merciful God allow these plagues on mankind?
Notice mankind’s response to the seven seals and seven trumpet plagues that will precede these last bowls of punishment. In spite of the severity of the pain and suffering that will be inflicted upon earth’s inhabitants by the seals and trumpets, humanity will still refuse to repent of its sins (Revelation 9:20-21).
Reviewing what will have previously occurred during the seals and trumpets, we note that, in addition to grievous suffering, many people will lose their lives through the first four seals, which are also called the four horsemen of the apocalypse (Revelation 6:8). Many more will die during the third trumpet plague (Revelation 8:11), and then a third of the remaining population will die through the sixth trumpet plague (Revelation 9:15, 18).
Deceived by Satan the devil through an end-time political and religious power called the “beast,” humanity will continue to defy and blaspheme God even as the seven last plagues are poured out.
In spite of these truly apocalyptic horrors, mankind will continue to reject God. They will refuse to worship or obey the Almighty, Eternal Sovereign God.
Deceived by Satan the devil (Revelation 12:9) through an end-time political and religious power called the “beast,” humanity will continue to defy and blaspheme God even as the seven last plagues are poured out (Revelation 16:9, 11, 21).
As the first of the seven last plagues is poured out, we are told that it will come “upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image” (Revelation 16:2). Note also that the fifth plague repeats that it will be poured out “on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom” (verse 10).
Being part of the end-time political and religious system called the beast will have serious consequences! For further study, see the articles: “Who Is the Beast?” “666: The Number of the Beast” and “Mark of the Beast.”
How do the seven last plagues parallel other plagues in the Bible?
There are two interesting historical parallels to the seven last plagues.
- First, these seven last plagues are typed by some of the punishments God brought upon the nation of Egypt in order to free the ancient Israelites from slavery. In the 10 plagues preceding the Exodus, water was turned to blood (Exodus 7:17), people had painful “sores” (Exodus 9:9), and the Egyptians experienced darkness for three days (Exodus 10:21-23).
There are obvious similarities to these punishments in the seven last plagues (note the first, second, third and fifth plagues above). And just as Pharaoh hardened his heart toward God and His plan, so will the people who experience the seven last plagues harden their hearts against God.
It is also interesting to note that in Revelation 15, which introduces the seven last plagues, we find God’s faithful people singing “the song of Moses” (verse 3), a song composed by Moses after God had brought 10 plagues upon the Egyptians and delivered Israel (Exodus 15:1-19).
- Second, the seven last plagues of Revelation 15 and 16 have similarities to the seven trumpet plagues, but with increased intensity.
Note that the first four trumpets cause a third of the trees to be burned up, a third of the sea to become blood, a third of the creatures in the sea to die, a third of fresh water to become poisonous and the light of the sun, moon and stars to be diminished by a third (Revelation 8:7-12). The seven last plagues will cause all waters (both in the sea and fresh) to become blood, all life in the sea to die and more darkness (Revelation 16:3, 4, 10).
God sends the plagues so that all mankind will turn to Him
Some people have the mistaken idea that God is harsh and cruel—delighting in making people suffer. But this is most definitely not the reason God will bring these seven last plagues upon mankind.
As our loving Father, God always administers punishment to encourage us to turn from sinful conduct to obedience to His holy and beneficial laws so we can be blessed.
Conveying this principle to ancient Israel, God told the prophet Ezekiel: “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11).
This principle that God explained to ancient Israel is true for all peoples—not just Israelites. God loves everyone (John 3:16) and “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
The book of Revelation’s prophecies about the seven last plagues are terrifying and show there will be massive suffering and destruction around the world in the end times. This will be necessary for God to deal with a sinful and rebellious world. But the good news is this will be a temporary period of time. Afterward, Jesus Christ will return to stop the sufferings of the end time, deal with mankind’s sins directly and begin ruling the world with righteousness.
This will result in 1,000 years of peace and prosperity.
The Ten Plagues We’ve Overcome This Past Year
With Passover among us, I’m stuck thinking about last year when most of us swiftly shifted our plans and Seders to Zoom meetings instead of the traditional in-person experiences. I remember a close family friend dealing with the emotional trouble of logging into Zoom because of her religious commitment and practice to not use technology during the chag (the holiday). A few weeks ago, I read about a statement from rabbis last year who agreed that the use of technology is permitted under the circumstances of the pandemic, noting that connection with family to observe this holiday overweighs the commandment. This time, with a year under our belts, I keep bringing myself to recalling last year where both families I joined replaced the traditionally repeated line, “Next year in Jerusalem” with “Next year in person.” It’s easy to say I’m disappointed in our reality, but this year I feel much more confident about actually celebrating next year in person.
With this one upset, I am also reminded of how much we’ve overcome in the last year. In my Seders last year, we referred to COVID as a plague of its own, but looking back, COVID was only one of them. I believe that we’ve survived more than this. Instead of the traditional ten plagues that we recite at every Seder, in my opinion, here are the ten that we’ve overcome in the past year:
1. COVID-19 itself
Contagious as it is, disruptive as it is, COVID-19 seems like the other afflictions that we’ve read about in history books. Hopefully, similar to how we eradicated polio and other communicable diseases, we will one day refer to COVID-19 as a pandemic that once existed.
2. Loneliness (darkness)
The ninth in the order of ten, Darkness was ordered by God to cover the land of Egypt for three days. Our “darkness” comes in the way of loneliness and isolation as we’ve had to separate from our family and friends to prevent spreading the virus. For some, this means living truly alone in isolation, perhaps not having human contact for months.
3. Uncertainty
From not knowing how the virus spreads to not knowing when we will receive a vaccine, we’ve faced much ambiguity and doubt throughout the year. At the beginning of the pandemic, we worried about what we didn’t know and now we’re faced with worry about going back to the world we once knew.
4. Lack of PPE and testing materials
Particularly last spring, an inability to protect those who confronted COVID-19 for a living was an existential threat. In a time when hospitals directed their frontline workers to use the same mask for a week and COVID tests were few and far between, not having a grip on the extent of the virus and how to protect the healthcare workers was a plague within a plague.
5. Technology challenges
Migrating online meant engaging in new practices and software. For some, Zoom was introduced as the go-to means to connect, which presented difficulty when suddenly everything was a virtual meeting and there was limited time to learn how to use the tool. It’s hard to believe we conquered audio and visual obstacles during Zoom Seders last year and now we’re all wizards at breakout rooms and chat features!
6. Social division
After having been cooped up for months, and with racial justice brought to light, the world witnessed – and continues to witness – unrest from grassroots initiatives across the political spectrum. Consequently, the physical upheaval from last summer and this past January is the result of this seemingly never-ending plague, and unfortunately communities across the country and world remain divided.
7. Missed holidays/celebrations in person
Whether it was a birthday, graduation, or another regular holiday on the calendar, most of these celebrations were either moved to a post-COVID date or to a filmed/live-streamed online, less personal event. It’s disappointing when the most joyous occasions are eliminated without our consent and this takes an emotional toll on those who’ve worked endlessly to have their celebration eliminated from the realm of possibility due to safety provisions.
8. Missed lifecycle events in person
Similar to missing the holidays, religious rites of passage such as a simchat bat (girls baby naming), brit milah (boys bris), b’nai mitzvot, weddings, funerals, shiva, and more, we missed participating in and honoring these monumental lifecycle events.
9. Fires and natural disasters
In California, we faced the unprecedented Creek and North Complex fires, among others. Other states, such as Texas, saw extraordinary freezing only a few weeks ago. A dichotomy for survival arises when people are expected to remain distant to prevent the spread of COVID but are faced with evacuation challenges, some evacuees resorting to shelters with no choice in social distancing.
10. Unsurmountable death
This goes without saying. The final of ten plagues was the death of the firstborn. Likewise, we have been surrounded by death, but this time, less controlled and without a foreseeable end. Unlike the biblical plague, no change of God’s mindset can end the mass casualty, but we can make conscious decisions to protect ourselves and others by staying home and social distancing.
In the Seder, we repeat the word Dayenu, which roughly means “that would be enough.” We say this as a recognition of gratitude on the other side of liberation. While I reflect on last year and celebrate Passover this year, I am thinking of my own Dayenu moments. This year, I am grateful for the smallest gifts which I often pass over (pun intended). I am grateful for science and the vaccines that most of my family has received, and I am patiently waiting to be considered eligible. I am thankful that I am healthy enough to write this and share it with you. I am thankful for the support systems that have been on my side, or at least my screens, over the past year.