Exodus 12: 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
The passages above refer to the final countdown to midnight, as took place in the land of Egypt, prior to the exodus of the Hebrews, from Egyptian slavery. God is merciful in all of His dealings with humanity, and He utterly exhausts all ways and means to save persons, before bringing or permitting judgements to fall.
Several passages show many instances where God, in His mercy gave Pharaoh time to repent, when He was willing to forgive, for He takes no delight in the death or destruction of persons.
The clearest evidences, appealing to his intelligence were given to pharaoh and on multiple occasions his own magicians and counselors protested against his stubbornness and foolhardiness, yet pharaoh would continue to dig in his heels, even as Egypt was being reduced to ruins.
Therefore, when we read those opening passages, referring to the countdown to midnight, God would have us understand that they did not, and they will never occur in a vacuum, but instead, are the last resort, when mercy and grace has absolutely failed to bring about the necessary changes in persons.
Several passages in the narrative demonstrate what is being said, and therefore, as we study the sacred history leading up to that fateful night, we should endeavor never to follow in pharaoh’s footsteps by erroneously concluding that God’s grace would last forever, because it won’t. Let’s read:
Exodus 9: 17 As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?
18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.
19 Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.
20 He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses:
21 And he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field.
Stubbornness is the same as iniquity and idolatry and it often occurs in persons who have dug in their heels to do evil, in the face of the clearest evidence to the contrary.
In this instance we find that undeniable distinctions would be made between the Egyptians and Israel so that any rational thinking person would be led to reconsider their ways. Whenever persons become hell bent on flagrant disregard of facts and truth, there you have the strong presence of demons being manifested. Let’s read:
Exodus 9:4 And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.
5 And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land.
6 And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.
7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he didn’t let the people go.
Not only does pharaoh disregard facts and truth but he also disregards his most trusted counselors, for whenever the habit of closing one’s eyes to truth is fully developed, it reaches a critical point where not even your trusted friends can reach you. Let’s read:
Exodus 8: 18 And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so, there were lice upon man, and upon beast.
19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, this is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.
Exodus 10: 7 And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, how long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?
Therefore, it was determined by God that nothing else could be done to reach pharaoh except one of the most devastating judgements to fall upon him, and those who partook of his spirit.
But before the destroying angel would pass through at midnight there would be necessary preparations and instructions to be fulfilled so that persons could meet and survive the emergency.
It was not only to place the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts because, there were several other instructions and prerequisites that had to be fulfilled, in order for the angel of death to pass over one’s house.
These instructions are enumerated in the following passages, and we will study what each one meant, since they were not given arbitrarily, but were full of significance, not only for the Hebrews back then but also for us who will be facing our own countdown to midnight in the not too distant future. Let’s read:
Exodus 12: 3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats.
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remains of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's Passover.
To many readers it might seem as if the blood on the door post is all that is required, but when we observe carefully all the instructions, we discover that several other prerequisites were given, and all must be fulfilled to the letter, in order for the angel to pass over your house.
For instance, if a family or individual posted blood on their door posts, but refused to eat the Passover lamb, they would not be spared, for one direction was thus disregarded. God is particular with giving detailed instructions, and He expects every iota to be understood as being essential.
The following is a breakdown of 4 of the instructions together with the correct interpretation of what was meant and what they pointed forward to. And as we read, a practical application should also be made, so that whenever our countdown to midnight occurs again, we will be found ready.
[1] Every man a lamb. The Passover Lamb that we read of represented Christ, and as such, every person who desires to be saved in God’s kingdom must make a personal decision to follow Him.
Others cannot decide for us, and if our family and friends do not see their need of Christ, then that should not stop, deter, or delay our decision, for we are not saved in groups or by churches, but in single file only. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
[2] Take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post.
The blood on the door posts represents a person’s acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary, where He shed His own blood for our sins. When we read in Revelation chapter 3, “Behold I stand at the door and knock” we are to understand that Christ seeks to offer the merits of His sacrifice to everyone.
The reason why His blood is to be put on the door, is because the merits of His blood must be applied to the door of the heart, for it is the shedding of His blood that brought us reconciliation to God. Thus, it is His blood that opens up the entrance to, and the possibility of salvation. Let’s read:
1st John 1: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Hebrews 9: 22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
[3] They shall eat the flesh, and shall let nothing of it remain.
It is not enough for us to accept Christ’s sacrifice in our behalf, by the shedding of His blood, the laws and principles of His kingdom are to be internalized and assimilated, or “Eaten” so that all the necessary changes for the better can occur in us, through the indwelling of The Holy Ghost.
This is a critically important point, especially as we prepare for our own countdown to midnight, for in our day, there are some who have applied the blood but have not yet eaten the Passover lamb, because of the erroneous doctrine which teaches God’s law was nailed to the cross.
Thus, if you notice carefully in modern Christendom there is a heavy emphasis on the blood. Everything is focused on the blood alone, while the Passover lamb is waiting to be eaten.
This perspective must now be corrected from the scriptures because Christ’s salvation is multifaceted, being inclusive of both blood and the keeping of all of God’s commandments. In other words, the blood will lead us to obey everything God has said in His word. Let’s read:
John 6: 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by The Father, so he that eats me, even he shall live by me.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, this is a hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
63 It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
[Special testimonies Oct 3 1900 par 6] Those who believe in Him as a personal Savior, those who work His works, receiving His words and practicing His principles, are eating the bread of life. Christ's lessons are their food and drink. They constantly seek to do Christ's will. Under all circumstances they strive to do as He would do.
1st John 2: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
5 But whoso keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abides in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Romans 3: 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Revelation 14: 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
[4] Eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste.
This last instruction had to do with the limited time available for them to eat the Passover lamb, as they prepared to leave Egypt in haste. Similarly, persons in our day who may not have been assimilating and practicing the laws and principles of God’s kingdom will have a limited window of opportunity to do so.
Because final movements will be rapid ones, those Christians who may not have understood, and who might not have been acquainted with the fact that the law of God is still valid, in its entirety, will find it necessary to embrace, and internalize these truths quickly.
This is because the second coming of Jesus Christ at midnight will be taking place just around the corner from Revelation 13, and14. Thus, we make a special appeal to all our Sunday keeping brethren who may not have understood these truths in times past.
God has not forgotten you. You may have the blood on the doorposts of your hearts already, since you believe in Jesus. That’s good! But there are other necessary prerequisites that have to be fulfilled in order for the angel to pass over you when our own countdown to midnight begins.
In our day, faith in Christ’s blood, in and of itself will never be sufficient to save anyone, without keeping all God’s commandments, where folks know better, because the Scripture teaches us that faith without works is dead.
Therefore, it is the combination of the two, through the indwelling of The Holy Ghost that will prepare a person to stand in that day when all hell will literally break loose. Observe carefully the following again, for it is written in the context of the final countdown to midnight. Let’s read:
Revelation 14: 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Just as God passed through Egypt at midnight, and delivered all who had obeyed the instructions given, just so will Jesus make His appearance at midnight for the deliverance of His commandment keeping people.
Those who will be delivered at that time would have had not only the blood of Christ on the doorposts of their heart, but would have also obeyed His law that forms the foundation of God’s government.
It is worthy of note that at midnight in Egypt, some were delivered, while some were destroyed at the very same time. Similarly, the 2nd coming of Jesus at midnight will have both aspects of deliverance and destruction, and it is now left up to everyone to choose in which category you will be found. Let’s read:
Matthew 25: 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mark 13: 35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning.
36 Lest coming suddenly he finds you sleeping.
1st Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
[The Great Controversy pp 636>637] It’s at midnight that God manifests his power for the deliverance of his people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession.
The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature seems turned out of its course. The streams cease to flow.
The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, and ragged rocks are scattered on every side. There is a roar as of a coming tempest. The sea is lashed into fury. There is heard the shriek of the hurricane, like the voice of demons upon a mission of destruction.
Mountain chains are sinking. Inhabited islands disappear. The seaports that have become like Sodom for wickedness, are swallowed up by the angry waters. Babylon the Great hath come in remembrance before God, “to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” [Revelation 16:19, 21.]
Very disturbing developments are taking place even as we speak, and gross darkness is spreading across the earth in so much that thinking men and women everywhere are being awakened out of slumber as it were.
The prophecies in the Bible which deal with last day events are now converging on our doorsteps, and it is a no brainer to say that we are just at the very tip of the iceberg, to say the least, because the winds of strife spoken by John in Revelation 7 have already begun to blow.
In other words, it might very well be that currently, the countdown to midnight, for the you and me in the here and now has already begun, and as such, there is a special sense of urgency to the moment as it pertains to living in readiness.
We therefore urge everyone who so desires to make your calling and election sure by doing due diligence to the instructions given, for we are to keep in mind that the blood on the door post is only one command among many.
We therefore end with a passage of Scripture that is meant to keep the correct perspective in view, and we hope and pray that good intentions will translate into obedience, for the entire work and purpose of salvation is to bring us back into harmony with God, and His law. Let’s read:
Psalms 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
God Bless!