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All right, we're here in Exodus chapter 10, we're looking at the ninth plague, the plague of darkness. And point number one is the description of darkness, the description of darkness. Now notice what the Bible says here, verse 21, the Lord said unto Moses, stretch out thine hand toward heaven that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which... Because if you're to look at the countries in the world that have the most sun, it's kind of hard for them to really... Because obviously throughout the country there's some areas that have more sun than others. But many places that you look, many of the charts will say Egypt has more sun than any other country in the entire world on average throughout the country. And of course that makes sense because recently I think I mentioned in the sermon, they have less precipitation than any country in the world, but many charts will have Egypt as being the number one country with the most sunlight on average per year throughout the country. And so for them to have darkness is not really something they experience compared to other areas because you go to really cold places, you go to Scandinavia, certain places during the winter where they have like 20 hours of darkness or something like that, but Egypt was not an area that ever really experienced... I mean obviously they had nighttime and morning, but they just had more sun. They have more sun than the average place in the world and I'm sure it was the same during that day as well. The Bible says darkness which may be felt. Now whenever we're reading the Bible, you know, sometimes we're reading, we're trying to get through our schedule and we only have so much time. We really need to just kind of stop to try to really figure out what exactly is the Bible saying? What does it mean darkness which may be felt? Because I don't know about you, but I don't know if I've ever really experienced like pitch black 100% in my life. I mean I've been in areas where it's pretty dark, but then after five or 10 minutes eventually all of a sudden you can see a little bit, right? But obviously this darkness is a darkness that is 100% pitch black. You know, where I'm from in West Virginia, it's the biggest area in the US for the coal mines and that's how a lot of people make money. And so if you're in the coal mines, you have completely pitch black conditions. You can see nothing, but it's not really something I've experienced before. Go in your Bible to Joel chapter 2, Joel 2. I actually had a friend of mine who worked in a coal mine for a summer and you know this person who worked in the job, you know, I guess he did a lot of practical jokes to people and there, you know, you'll generally go with a partner, at least that's what my friend said in the coal mines and you know his partner was the one who had the light and his partner decided to play a joke because you know you're going down, you can't really see where you're going and it's very easy. I mean it can be very dangerous to get lost and his friend, you know, just or not really his friend, his co-worker just turned off the light and then just made him like panic for five minutes and he'd said that he wanted to, you know, just deck that guy, you know, punch that guy once he got out to the top because that's not a very funny joke because you know from what he said just those five minutes of darkness is just terrifying, it's a very scary thing because what can you do? You can see nothing, you don't know where to go and then of course, you know, you lose your sense of direction. You might turn and then be completely confused, you know, which way is left, which way is right, where did I come from, so it can be very dangerous. But here's what it says from an article on the psychological effects of light and dark. Now I don't really, you know, have any experience with this stuff, I'm not an expert at this stuff so I'm just reading from some articles but it says, we've explored the duality of light and dark establishing that one cannot exist or be experienced without the other. We've also come to understand how this dichotomy plays a fundamental part in our understanding of the world and how we present ourselves. Now we look at how the physicality of light and dark and the psychological effects on the human brain. When we don't get enough light, it can throw our minds and bodies into a spin. What's the circadian rhythm? It says here about the circadian rhythm, each of us has a 24-hour biological clock located in the brain's hypothalamus region known as our circadian rhythm. The amount of light we absorb in a day impacts this region negatively or positively affecting things like our sleep, mood, digestion, temperature control, energy levels and cell renewal. When winter comes around and the days get shorter, what they mean by the days get shorter is there's less sunlight, you know, the sun takes longer to rise and, you know, it sets early and the days get shorter, the lack of exposure to sunlight can stop the hypothalamus from working properly impacting production of melanin, a hormone producing the pineal gland that controls your sleep cycle, production of serotonin known as a mood stabilizer, it plays a role in your sleep, mood, digestion, bone health, etc. Circadian rhythm, your internal 24-hour clock behaviors. When this happens, it can make some people more susceptible to SAD which is seasonal affective disorder linked to winter and autumn when natural light is in short supply. When it's dark outside, our bodies produce melatonin to prepare us for sleep. So, just a being dark outside, it has an automatic psychological effect where it's going to just make you start to get tired, you know, a lot quicker, a lot easier. While the serotonin production is slowed down, this combination often leaves you feeling sleepy, groggy and depressed. So, the Bible is saying here, this article is saying that darkness is going to have a depressive effect on you, it's going to make you sleepy, it's going to make you groggy. Now, you know, I know everybody in the Philippines, they want to experience snow in the U.S. You know, but I'm telling you, the most depressive time of year, I mean, when suicides are sky-high in the U.S., it's during the winter time because what you have and a large part of it, I mean, part of it might be the holiday season, so if your life's a little bit down, it's Christmas, you get depressed when everybody's happy, but a large part of it is the fact that it's just dark all the time. And, you know, I just remember going to work, it would be very depressing on these days. I would leave for work in the morning and it's dark outside, the sun has not risen because you know, here in the Philippines, there's not much difference throughout the year of how many hours of sunlight that you have. But in, where I'm from in the U.S., there is a big difference, so during the winter time, you have several less hours of sunlight, so I would leave in the morning and, you know, the only light you see is the snow on the ground and it's cold and it's dark, you arrive, you walk into work at, you know, 7 in the morning or whatever and it's pitch black outside and then you go home at like 4.30 and the sun is already half set, it's already kind of dark. It's just depressing, it's like, you know, your entire time with the sun, you're inside working and so you experience no sunlight during the day, it just has a very depressing effect upon you. And this article says that it causes depression, okay, notice what it says in Joel 2 verse 1, Joel 2 verse 1, blow ye the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm in my holy mountain, all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day the Lord cometh for his night at hand. Notice this in verse number 2, Joel 2 verse 2, a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains, a great people and a strong, there hath not been ever the light, neither shall there be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. So what the Bible says is darkness and of gloominess, now we understand the word dark and the word gloomy or gloominess is an interesting word because if you say that it's gloomy outside, it's kind of a synonym for it being dark. You're saying it's gloomy, you're basically saying it looks like it might rain, there's clouds, there's not much sun, it's gloomy. But it's an interesting word because gloomy also represents a mood. And so it's like dark is just like the physical attribute, but when it comes to the word gloomy, it also represents a mood. So here's what it says on definitions of gloomy. Gloomy dark or poorly lit, especially so as to appear depressing or frightening. So it's a synonym for dark, but it also has a mood represented by this word of being depressed, depressing. Another definition, feeling distressed or pessimistic. I am by no means gloomy. And so about the prospects for domestic injury. So I'm not happy, I'm kind of depressed or worried about it. And so gloomy is not just the fact that it's dark, but it also represents a mood. Another definition, causing distress or depression, a gloomy atmosphere. So when you're saying it's a gloomy atmosphere, what you're saying is, man, the clouds are out, it looks like it might rain, it doesn't look like it's, the weather's very good. So it's not just merely that it's nighttime and it's dark, but gloominess also represents something that's depressing. And you even see that, you know, here in the Bible and darkness and gloominess are mixed together. So here's what I'm saying. When they were actually there and it was dark, it would be depressing, right? I mean, that is, I mean, darkness and gloominess are mixed together. So darkness is the physical attribute of no light. It's also going to represent them being very gloomy in their attitude. They're going to be very depressed. It's not going to be fun whatsoever. Go in your Bible to Matthew 8. And I'll give you an example of when they're talking about the 24-hour biological clock where you need a certain amount of sun because, you know, I've flown from one part of the world to the other, okay? And it's interesting because of the fact you fly at a certain time depending on which direction you're going and you might just fly seemingly, it's dark the entire time because of, you know, the time you're leaving and it might be the other way, it might be light the entire time. So for example, if you fly out at 5 p.m., five hours later in general, you would fall asleep in a normal situation. But if it's really bright outside, it's like somehow your body is just not going to sleep and there's always someone on the plane who wants to keep their window up, you know? So, you know, you have that light and you can't sleep even though and it's like your body gets confused. It's kind of like I should be sleeping but I'm not. So for me, I don't sleep well on planes so if I have a long trip like I did, I'll sleep maybe an hour and an hour and a half, two hours because, you know, it's just like the rhythm of my body is off where it's like I should be sleeping at a certain time but now it's light outside and my body just can't figure it out. I've experienced this. I'm going on long drives before, you know, when you're – I remember when we drove across the country from, you know, the West Virginia, Pennsylvania area to Sacramento, California and it's about a 40, I think, three-hour drive, 43 hours from one part of the U.S. is very, you know, you say, man, here are the vehicles a long ways away. No, no, 43 hours is a long drive, okay? And so in that drive, you know, we left Monday morning because, you know, we went to church on Sunday, our last church service in West Virginia and the goal was to make it there by Wednesday night. And so basically, and, you know, my wife doesn't drive meaning I'm doing all the driving and so I'll say this, I was able to cut down on the time by driving very, very fast, okay, which is not the best thing to do but when you're on a long drive, it's very difficult but I remember I would leave – we would leave basically right before it gets light outside because, you know, you're tired but you realize you're going to make it to the light and then all of a sudden, you just have this effect where you start to wake up more and once the sun's starting to set, all of a sudden, you just see your eyes just like starting to fade. And so basically, you have like a maybe a 14-hour window or something like that and we were able to make it by the Wednesday night service. I drove like 16 hours, you know, one day, just 16 hours with very small stops and then, you know, 16 hours the next day, we made it a couple of hours before the Wednesday service. I was fighting to stay awake during the Wednesday night service but just the fact once the sun is going, you just fade out, that's just kind of the way that God has created us. Now, when it comes to darkness, one thing you think about is hell is a dark place according to the Word of God. Here's what it says in Matthew 8 verse 11, And I say unto you that many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now, you know, I don't know if it's scientifically possible for it to, you know, be dark but I don't think hell has to be scientifically possible because of the fact hell is in the heart of the earth and how is the center of the earth burning and yet the earth is still here. It doesn't really fully make sense except God's keeping it hot and hell is slowly enlarging itself and the Bible says outer darkness and I do believe and I've mentioned this in the Sherman series that one of the reasons because obviously this is one of the most entertaining sections of the Bible, you know, when kids are growing up because obviously we know these stories but when kids are growing up, the ten plagues are one of the most interesting things, right? If they're going to have Bible movies or Bible cartoons, one of the big ones they're going to have are the ten plagues of Egypt. It's one of the most interesting things in the entire Bible, right? But I don't think it was just meant to be like, well, we can make a movie Ten Commandments one day. So God's like, I'm going to just put these in for entertainment purposes. I think that, you know, one of the big reasons is to get the Egyptians saved and I do believe that the Egyptians had heard things about the Bible and heard things about the gospel. I think they had heard about, you know, that there's going to be a savior, they didn't believe this but they had heard that. It's not like nobody in the world knew anything about, you know, the word of God until just, you know, 1611 when the King James came out. No, that's not the case. I mean, the word of God spreads everywhere and I think that they had heard that, you know what, hell is a torturous place and hell is a dark place and it never ends. Now, if it's dark for 72 straight hours, you're going to have no concept of how much time is going by at all, right? And so I do believe the outer darkness, I mean, I think it was a great thing for them because I think certain people that were already, because remember we saw just a few plagues ago, all of a sudden we see some Egyptians fearing God. And when you're in darkness for 72 hours, you have a lot of time to think. And it's just like, you know, I mean, you're looking at this, you know, like this is not scientifically possible, this doesn't make any sense, we're being destroyed and they can look at their situation and realize, you know what, I don't want to be in this situation for all eternity, right? In darkness and on fire forever, you know, I do believe that would have an impact on some people getting saved. Now, of course, most were probably very stubborn about it, but I do believe some were just like, man, you know what, enough is enough, right? If you're looking at a specific Egyptian god that this would seem to tie into, it's the Egyptian god Ra, R-A, and Ra is one of the most famous Egyptian gods ever. It says here about him, by the fifth dynasty, it says he was the ancient Egyptian deity of the sun. By the fifth dynasty in the 25th and 24th centuries BC, he had become one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the noonday sun, Ra ruled in all parts of the creative world, the sky, the earth, and the underworld. He was believed to have been ruled as the first pharaoh of ancient Egypt, he was the god of the sun, order of kings and the sky. Now, go back to Exodus chapter 10, Exodus 10. So we see the description of the darkness, we see the description of this plague, what is it like to be in complete darkness? I'm not sure I've ever experienced that. I've been in places that are dark where you barely can see after, you know, 20 minutes, but I don't know if I've ever experienced like 100% where your eyes never adjust at all, right? Because I can't really see very well without context, but I can see colors. And so I don't know that I've ever experienced where it's this dark. Now, of course, we've all been in places that are pretty dark and you're like, you know, putting your hands out because you want to like walk into a pole or something like that. But number two, let's see the damage. Let's see the result of this darkness. Verse 22, and Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in their dwelling. So the Bible says here that they saw not one another, obviously they can't see. I mean, you could be having a conversation with your spouse and you can't even see them. It says neither rose any from his place for three days. Why didn't they get out of their place? They're probably scared to death. I mean, they just don't even know what to do because you have to realize that obviously this is darkness and nothing else is happening. It's not like locusts are coming or frogs. But here's the thing, if you've already experienced all these plagues and you're a normal Egyptian, you're probably afraid what else is going to be coming. You don't even know. I mean, there might be something coming in the darkness. I mean, nothing else does come, but they have no idea. They're scared and of course they can't see, they're going to be afraid, man, I get lost. I don't know how to come back in. I don't know what to do. I mean, it would be the scariest three days of your life. I'm sure those three days probably felt like months and months and months and months, right? I mean, this time is just slowly going by. It's like 1,001, 1,002, let's see if I can count to a million, 1,003, 1,004, right? I mean, it would be a very scary thing. Now, if it resulted and helped you, resulted in you getting saved, it would all be worth it. But it would be a very scary three days. So think about the fear that would be caused as a result of this. Think of some of the things that we kind of take for granted as being... And by the way, fear is a big, big, big motivation for people getting saved. And so I do believe that this fear could be something where it's like, man, it's just like I need to get saved. So I do believe it would be good for people getting saved, I think people would have. Just think of simple things like using the bathroom. I mean, the thing is, if you're not used to complete darkness, then it's going to be kind of hard, right? I mean, it would be very difficult. And think of things like eating and cooking, I don't even know what they did. I mean, I don't know if they just, you know, because trying to get water. I mean, you got to realize it's not like they just have a faucet for water. I mean, so I don't know what they did. I mean, it would be a very scary thing. And of course, you know, by the time this is over, you're probably wondering, am I going to die, right? One of the things I thought about is that when it's dark, you have a lot more bugs. And so it's very possible that, you know, they're having all kinds of bugs that are just all over, maybe crawling on them or they accidentally step on them or they hear the noise of a mouse running or whatever. And of course, that's going to be very scary, right? So point number one, we see the description of the darkness. Point number two, we see the damage. Point number three, we see a deal. And Pharaoh tries to make a deal with Moses, verse 24. And Pharaoh called on to Moses and said, go ye serve the Lord. Only let your flocks and your herds be stayed, let your little ones also go with you. Because remember, earlier in the plagues, Pharaoh tries to make a deal and says, well, only the men go. Here what he's saying is, you can serve the Lord, the little ones can come with you, meaning your kids, but leave your flocks and your herds behind. Make them stay, keep them here so they don't go. So he's saying, all the people can go, but you're not going to have animals. And of course they need animals to sacrifice to God. Go to Genesis 14, Genesis 14, Genesis 14. And by the way, let me tell you this, that there's nothing new under the sun. I mean, right here we see that Pharaoh who basically represents the devil is trying to make a deal with them. Guess what? The devil's trying to do the same thing with us in our lives today. And we see that also here in Genesis 14, because notice what it says here in verse 14. Genesis 14, verse 14. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, 318, and pursued them on Dan. Now, before we go on, let me just kind of explain this verse. It's pretty interesting, the symbolism here. Because there's this battle that takes place, and so then Abraham is trying to recover and get back blood and all these things. And the Bible says here that he armed his trained servants. Now this represents soul winning, where basically you're going out to win the battle. I mean, throughout the Old Testament, battles are often representing soul winning. You're going out to win the battle. Notice how the Bible says he armed his trained servants. It does not say he trained his servants. They were already trained. He just gave them arms. And when it comes to soul winning, I mean, you could have somebody come down on their knees right before you and say, what must they do to be saved? It's too late to be trained to figure out how to get them saved though. You better already know how to do it. And here what we see is the preparation that Abraham has, because he arms his trained servants, meaning they were already ready, right? And I would say that most of battles and most of things in our life, it's won via the preparation. And if you're prepared, you're going to be successful. But if you're not prepared, you're going to fail. So basically the symbolism is basically like, okay, soul winning time, arm yourself, bring your Bible, get your invitations and let's go, right? So he armed his trained servants. He had already prepared them. He had already trained them for. And so, you know, if you're trying to figure out how to become a good soul winner, make sure you're prepared. Make sure you're trained. I mean, that is the largest part of the battle is just being prepared for it. Verse number 15, and he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night and smote them and pursued them onto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And by the way, you know, another thing to think of is it said from verse 14, the ones born in his own house, 318, and the idea is that everyone was trained. I mean, everybody was ready. It's like, you know what? I want to make sure everybody's ready, you know, to fight this battle. And obviously during these days, I mean, they fought over some, they fought over a lot of stuff. It's like a well of water, we're going to war, right? So it was kind of a vicious time. You had to know how to fight, you had to be ready. You had to be a man's man, right? And all of them were trained. Verse 16, and he brought back all the goods and also brought again his brother Lot. And by the way, this is not literally his brother, but sometimes the Bible used the word brother when it's part of your blood, even if it's not directly how we would see, like, you know, Capetin, you know, brother. But it says in his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the daughter of Chedorla Mor, and of the kings that were with him at the valley of Sheba, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed him and said, blessed be Abraham of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand, and he gave them tithes of all. Now, it's interesting the Bible mentions here Melchizedek, and, you know, the Bible talks about this story in the book of Hebrews, because people wonder, you know, who is this Melchizedek? And the Bible says, you know, without father, without mother, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. Now, who does that sound like to you? Son of God in the Old Testament, exactly. Because, you know, it has to be one of the members of the Godhead, and the Bible says, no man hath seen God at any time, but that references God the Father. And so in the Old Testament, you do see appearances of God, but what you're seeing is the Son of God, okay? Not yet born of the Virgin Mary, but whenever you're seeing in the Old Testament, you're seeing the Son of God. So for example, when, you know, Jacob wrestles God, who's that referring to? It's referring to the Son of God, right? Here's another example where this is the Son of God appearing in the Old Testament. He was the priest of the Most High God. And it says in verse 21, and the king of, and by the way, it says in verse 20, and blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand, and he gave them tithes of all. So even in the Old Testament, you're seeing the concept of tithing, and Hebrews references back to this. It never repeals tithing. Tithe is obviously 10%. Obviously, it's a little bit simpler in today's world because of the fact you have a local church, you have just 10% that you give to the local church, but you do see the concept of tithing all the way back here in the Old Testament. Verse 21, and the king of Sodom said unto Abraham, give me the persons and take the goods to thyself. And by the way, that's basically the deal that the devil wants. He's like, you know what? You can have all the rewards, you can have a nice life, you can have a car, as long as I keep the people. And what I mean by that is, you know, Satan, I mean, think about all these rock stars that sell their soul to the devil. Basically, I'll give you all the money in the world, right? And what the devil wants more than anything is to destroy the people. But what you're seeing is the devil's trying to make a deal with Abraham. He says, I'll make a deal with you. You give me the persons. Instead of getting some of the goods, I'll give you all the goods. You'll get so much money, just leave the people with me. Because the king of Sodom here is representing the devil. It says in verse 22, and Abraham said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up my hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abraham rich. And Abraham says, I don't want to get rich from you. Kind of the symbolism there would be that let's say you have a job offer that is a very sinful job, but you can make a lot of money doing this, right? Well, you know, according to this, Abraham's like, you know what, I don't want to get rich from unduly means. Some examples might be, let's say you're a drug dealer. I mean, drug dealers can make good money, right? It's like, what do you want to be when you grow up? It's like, well, I really want to make some money, so I'm thinking about being a drug dealer, right? And you know what, there's a lot of jobs, you can make a lot of money, but you know, we ought to have integrity to look for a job where we're not going to be sinning against our conscience and doing something wrong. It says here in verse 24, save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Anar, Eschol, and Mamre, let them take their portion. Go back to Exodus 10, Exodus 10. The idea is that the devil wants to meet you halfway. He wants to make a deal with you. I mean, oftentimes we know what is right and what is wrong, and the devil's like, you know what, I'll just meet you halfway. It's like, okay, just, you know, earlier the deal was from Pharaoh, it's like, okay, the men can go. It's like, no. And then here's like, I'll let even the kids go, but I'll just meet you halfway. Let even the kids go, but leave the flocks behind. And then Moses says, no, we're not going to do that. It says here in verse, so point number one, it says we see a description of the darkness, point two, the damage, point three, a deal, and point four, a demand. We see a demand from Moses back to Pharaoh. And Moses said, thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings that we may sacrifice in the Lord our God. And he says, no, you know, we need these to sacrifice unto God. It's not good enough that you let us go. It's not good enough that we get freedom. We need our sacrifices and burnt offerings. Our cattle also shall go with us. There shall not in hoof be left behind. For thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God, and we know not with what we must serve the Lord until we come thither. And this is a great attitude from Moses, where he's like, there shall not in hoof be left behind. Right, I remember I had a friend at a preaching night and preaching this phrase. It's always kind of stuck out to me ever since then. Basically Moses says, no, nothing's going to be left behind. We are going to go all in, all of our families, all of the animals, everything. And that's the attitude that we ought to have, that we are all in it to serve God. Not 50%, not 70%. There's not going to be a hoof left behind. So just think about areas of your life and say, is it okay if I've got this one area of my life messed up? No, it's not. You got to fix everything and be all in serving God. Go to Daniel chapter three, Daniel three. And let me give you another example where God's people are unwilling to compromise. That's what I'm basically saying where it's like, no, I'm not going to compromise. You know, I'm not going to meet you halfway. I'm not going to because, you know, this is generally what people do, you know, that are saved just in general. You've got, this is what's right. And then you've got the world and sin and all those things. And then you got most Christians that are kind of just like in between, right? It's like, well, I, you know, I know this is right, but I don't want to become like enemies with them. I want to make them happy. So they'll just kind of go in between, right? And then of course preaching is often just filled full of compromise where it's basically like, well, you know, just kind of go in between because I don't want to offend anybody. I don't want to make anybody mad. You know, Moses had the attitude, I'm not going to compromise at all. Here in Daniel three, we have the story, another very famous story for kids. And this is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And notice what it says here in verse eight. Wherefore at that time, certain Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever. Thou, O king, hast made it a decree that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sack, butt, sultry, and dulcimer, in all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoso follows not down to worship it, that he should be cast in the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast said over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have not regarded thee, they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. So, here's a story where basically everybody's ordered to bow down to this idol. And of course, you know, there are certain things that we might be able to do and say, well, you know, it's not really what I want to do, but it's not sinful. But here when you're being asked to bow down to an idol, it's clearly wrong. It's clear, you say, well, in my heart, right? I mean, I physically bow, but, you know, man looketh on the outward appearance, the Lord looketh on the heart. In the heart, I mean, I was firm, right? I was standing strong. You know, I remember, you know, my friend's brother, so someone I didn't know, I did know his brother, but my friend's brother, you know, got married several years ago and I heard that, and he was a Christian. He's saved and he was dating a Muslim, okay? And let me just give advice to anyone who's young kids here, dating one-on-one, don't date a Muslim. Don't date a Muslim, don't date a Hindu, don't date a Buddha. I mean, that's pretty, I mean, it's just like, there's plenty of fish in the sea, my friend. There's billions of people in this world, whatever you want, hair color, eye color, whatever, just don't let them be Muslim, right? I'd be scared being married into a Muslim family, number one but that's neither here nor there. But anyways, and here's the thing, as he started talking to her, he got serious with her and he wanted to marry this person. And this is someone I used to go to Bible studies with, the story shocked me. And the problem was that the parents would not let him marry her unless he converted to Islam. And so he made the decision to pretend to convert to Islam because in his heart, he didn't really mean, and he literally did that. I mean, I've seen the pictures on Facebook where he got married. And what's amazing about this, the person I'm talking about was a really strong and tough guy. I mean, he was like second in the state in wrestling, he competed in strongman competitions. I mean, he won a lot of events in arm wrestling competitions and he's outwardly very physically strong and then he doesn't even have the guts to stand up for what he believes. And it's just amazing to me where it's just, and this is literally, because he asked his brother, he's like, but if I don't really mean it, right? It's like, I'll just pretend to do it, is that really wrong? And it's like, when you even have to ask that question, someone who's been in church since he was a kid in independent fundamental Baptist churches, like you've got to be kidding me, right? Obviously it's wrong to worship idols, completely wrong 100%. Kind of similar examples that people here in the Philippines might do is go to graveyards on All Saints Day to appease their Catholic families. You say, wow, is that really wrong? Yeah, it's wrong because you look like you're a Catholic. It looks like you literally believe that demons are going to come out of the ground or whatever they believe and it's just like, you should have nothing to do with that. Right, and so, and there are plenty of Baptists here in the Philippines that do that. You know, I've heard plenty of stories where they want to, it's like, well, I don't want to offend my family. It's like, well, you know, number one, your concern should be getting your family saved. And number two, you're not getting closer to getting them saved by pretending to be a Catholic or pretending to be that their religion is not that bad. You should say, you know, and you can say it in a nice way, but just say, you know, I'm sorry, but I don't believe that and I can't be a part of that, right? Stained from all appearance of evil. It looks evil, it looks like you believe that, right? And I'm not, you've done that before. Probably a lot of you have gone to the graveyards before with your Catholic relatives. I'm not trying to rip you apart, but obviously going forward we need to take a stand on something like that, right? Verse 13, then Nebuchadnezzar and his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said to them, is it true, oh, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do not you serve my gods nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now, if you'd be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sack, butt, sultry, and dulcimer and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made well. But if you worship not, you should be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? You know, one thing you see from the story is that with this basically false religion, they're going to be bowing down before God, but for an idol, basically like a God, you see music before they actually do that. And so of course at our church, we start our church with hymns. And you know, I think that's a practice that we find in the Bible. It's actually all religions do that. And so that's one reason why I do think it matters what kind of music that you actually have. I don't think it's just a free-for-all for any kind of music because I can imagine that the music that they had did not sound like to God be the glory, great things he hath done. There is a difference between God's music and the world's music. And I understand our hymnal is not the King James Bible. I'm not saying it is without error or anything like that, but I do believe that the sound of the music actually matters. And that's kind of a whole other topic. People debate about that and things such as that, but especially in the house of God, right? Especially in the house of God, it's like, it shouldn't be music that honors God. It should be music that exalts God. And it's not just the words, right? I mean, the idea that all that matters is the words is a false idea. I remember when I first started going to church, you know, the church I went to, we had like a weekend retreat or something where we're, you know, camping and, you know, we're singing songs and things like that. And the church I went to, it's like a Baptist church, but they operated similarly to non-denominant in a lot of ways. And so they had like, you know, say a worship leader leading the music every Sunday morning and everything like that. And I remember the worship leaders, they said during the retreat, he was like, you know, he's like, you got to check this out. He's like, the song Amazing Grace to the tune of House of the Rising Sun. And I don't know if you know that song, but it's like, this is how the tune went with amazing. Tell me if this sounds as good as the way we sing Amazing Grace. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see. And it's a famous rock song that was like, my son Asher loves it. I mean, I got to watch out for that guy when he grows up. But it's like, it was like a number one hit. It was like this big song. And it's just like, you're taking the words to a song that we sing and then just putting them to the devil's music, the famous rock song. It's like, and look, don't get me wrong. I mean, yes, the lyrics are the most important thing. They matter, but you know what? The tune of the song does inherently have a meaning. In my opinion, I know a lot of people don't agree with that. And that's fine. But to me, right when I heard that, I mean, I didn't know that much about the Bible, but I'm just like, I don't know. I mean, I kind of want a new song because I used to listen to that. It's like, I'm trying to get away from that. I don't want you to try to draw me back to Led Zeppelin. It's kind of like, let's go back to Led Zeppelin in Guns and Roses. Like, no, I'm trying to go away from that. How about we just say Amazing Grace the way we normally sing it, is that all right? So, and anyways, that's a story I remember. But don't go home and listen to House of the Rising Sun on YouTube. But anyways, verse number 16, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. What they mean, we are not careful. If you're careful, let's say glass breaks on the ground, you're going to be very careful where you step, right? What they're saying is, we're not afraid of what we're going to say. We're not holding back our words where we might get in trouble. I got to pretend I don't believe this. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, being known unto the O king that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Now, I don't think Nebuchadnezzar's a horrible human being. He's not godly, for sure, but I don't think he's a reprobate. And the reason why, and you know, you can even see the way Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego think about him, the way Daniel thinks about him, they don't think that he's an evil person. Obviously, he's not a godly person, and Nebuchadnezzar actually likes them, because he gives them another chance. It's like, oh, you didn't bow before? Here's your chance to bow now. So, Nebuchadnezzar actually liked them, and he gave them a chance. And, you know, I don't think they look at him as being some, you know, wicked reprobate, but they're asking him about, and that just kind of shows you, when people are in leadership and have a lot of power, they can just go off the deep end, right? I mean, world leaders that rule countries, because this, I mean, when you read this story, you would assume like he's a reprobate. He's making a big statue of himself, and, you know, you have to bow down. And look, I'm sure Kim Jong-un is a reprobate. I'm not saying he's not, but I'm saying, I'm saying I don't believe that every politician that has power that does corrupt things is a reprobate, because in the Bible, we see a lot of examples where they're not. And so, just because someone is doing bad things that is, you know, a world leader, the leader of a country, I don't think every president or king out there is a reprobate, personally. But obviously, this is very wicked. And what they basically say is this, you know what? We believe God's gonna deliver us. In verse 17 is what they're saying. You know, he's able to deliver us. We believe he's gonna deliver us. But here's the thing, if he does not deliver us, King, it's like, I would rather burn to death inside that fiery furnace than basically bow down to your idol. Now, Daniel's not here, because obviously, they couldn't just have everybody come. They have to have some people staying behind. But here's the thing about this. I don't think, because you have to realize that, you know, Babylon was gathering up some of the believers in the world. I don't think Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were the only three saved people there. It's not like every saved person is gonna stand up for the truth. And this is a big ceremony where we probably have tens of thousands of people. It's probably a huge crowd. Everybody's bowing down. And I think there's probably a lot of saved people. It's like, well, in my heart, I don't believe in Muhammad, right? But they all bow down. And of course, you know, we know the story. They get thrown in the fiery furnace, and then, you know, all of a sudden, Nebuchadnezzar's shocked when, you know, it's like the fourth is like the Son of God, where basically, once again, we have the Son of God appearing in the Old Testament, which of course, a great picture of the fact that Jesus actually went to hell. And so, he's there with them, and they're not in any pain. And they're just watching them on the inside. It's like, they seem like they're having a good time, and then they let them out, and nothing's happened to them. And by the way, the fact that Nebuchadnezzar brings up the Son of God seems so random. And of course, the modern versions mess this up. But you ask the question, why is it that Nebuchadnezzar would make that statement? Well, probably because he's heard from either Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego, he's probably heard the gospel that, you know what, the Son of God is actually gonna die and pay for your sins. And so, there was an understanding of these things. Because otherwise, why would he make just a random statement about that? Except he had probably heard from Daniel, hey, by the way, we believe the Son of God is gonna come, and he's gonna die for the sins of the whole world. So, they were not completely ignorant of scripture. Not everything was necessarily written down, but the word was spoken by our prophets, and things were known that might not have been written down that we see in the Old Testament. Anyways, go back to Exodus, chapter 10. Exodus 10. Exodus 10. By the way, I'll say this, you know, this is not always true, but I would say it's usually true. That usually, when people ask questions, you know, do you think this is okay? Is this right? Usually, they know it's not right. It's like their conscience at the very least. Because even if it's not technically wrong biblically, if you're sinning against your conscience, it's wrong. And, you know, usually when, and, you know, I'm the same way. All of us are like this sometimes. We don't wanna do something, or there's something wrong we choose to do. It's like, if we have to ask the question, is this okay? It's like, usually, it's probably not, right? I've had many people through the years that have asked me about, like, they've got a job offer, and they're just like, you know, is this okay? Is this sinful? And I'll tell them what my opinion is, because I don't always think that it's sinful, but I'm like, but here's the thing. If on the inside you're wondering, maybe this is right, maybe this is wrong, then for you it's gonna be wrong, because you're sinning against your conscience. I'll show them what the Bible says, and say, hey, because, you know, obviously, you know, you work jobs. You're not gonna work for a company that's just perfect, you know, that's just, you know, whatever. It is what it is sometimes. You have to do whatever. But anyways, point number one is the description of darkness. Point two, the damage. Point three, a deal. Point four, demand. Point five, a disagreement. Verse 27, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. Pharaoh said unto them, get thee from me, take heed of thyself, see my face no more, for in that day thou seest me, seest my face, thou shalt die. And Pharaoh basically says, I will kill you if I ever see you again, Moses. And Moses said, thou spooken well, I will see thy face again no more. And Moses says, okay, I will come back. It's like, if that's what you want, then be ready for the next plague. And obviously, the next plague is gonna hit harder than anything else. Now, go to Leviticus chapter 20. We'll close up there, Leviticus 20. Seven disagreements, where basically Pharaoh and Moses, they don't come to an agreement. Moses says no, and then it's like, just get out of here then, is what Pharaoh says. And obviously, Pharaoh is a bad person. He's a reprobate, and he's used by God for a variety of reasons. To teach the Hebrews a lot of things, to also get the Egyptians saved, and all of that. And I wanna show you here in Leviticus chapter 20 what the Bible says about basically, as you go to different countries, the different laws and rules and everything. That's what it says in Leviticus chapter 20, verse 22. He shall therefore keep all my satchets and all my judgments and do them, that the land whether I bring you to dwell therein spew you not out, meaning spit you out. And he shall not walk in the manners of the nation which I cast out before you, for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. But I have said unto you, you shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God, which hath separated you from other people. You shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean. And you shall not make your souls abominable by beast or by fowl, or by any manner of living for the thing that creepeth on the ground which I have separated from you is unclean. And you shall be holy unto me, for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that you should be mine. Men also are a woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death. They shall stone them with stones, their blood shall be upon them. You know what you're seeing here in Leviticus chapter 20? That God's people and the world, they just don't mix. I mean, Egypt, the Egyptians and the Hebrews, they just weren't gonna mix. I mean, the Egyptians have their holy book called the book of the dead. I've heard of the book of life, but they've got the book of the dead. It's like, you're just not gonna line up together. You're gonna be able to get along. And then God's saying, you know what? Don't take after the manner of these wicked nations. And the thing was, God wanted to drive out the memory of these wicked nations, but what takes place? Well, in today's world, the wickedness is in every country. There's no country that is completely separated from this garbage, and the wickedness has basically just been brought in from other countries. You're seeing as they disagree, Pharaoh and Moses, that the world and God's people, they are just not gonna mix. What the Bible says, we ought to be separate from the world. Now, we're not talking about being like the Amish or some cult that lives on some island away from the rest of the world, because we are called to go out and get them saved. But the idea is that we spend our time fellowshipping with God's people, but you have to work jobs and whatever. You're around the world. But the idea is that the people that you hang out with, the people you fellowship with, they ought to be godly people. You say, why? Because God's people and the world, they don't mix. I mean, as God's people, we ought to live by some strict standards. You know what the problem is? The world doesn't live by those standards. The world, you say, but I mean, and I can go on rabbit trails, but the music, movies, and all these things, but you know, the bottom line is this. It's like, you know, God's people and the world, they just do not mix. Let's go to the word of prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today and just the lessons we can learn about this plague of darkness, God ask you to help us to apply this to our lives. Help us to love your word and read your word, God. Help us be godly people and separated from the world. God, we pray these things in Jesus' name.