The Mystery of Moses and Pharaoh

Red Sky at Morning

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Exodus 7:1 KJV

1And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

@manama drew my attention to this passage as one she had some issues with and wanted to discuss.

Certainly, in the English translation it does read a little strangely! I would be interested in unpacking some of the significance of this intriguing verse and the implications it leads to, but I think it is best done as a dialogue rather than a one-way thing.

For clarity, I also include the link the the Hebrew interlinear...

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/7-1.htm
 

manama

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That’s right @manama - it is in there through translation. It seems that the translators thought it might be a smoother translation to read the passage using a simile rather than a metaphor which could lead to confusion.
But this takes us back to my original question, why is God telling Moses that he was made a god a "metaphor" and just a comparison etc, but a random layman after getting healed, calling Jesus his lord and god, not a metaphor but 100% literal.

Is it not just Christians nitpicking to fit their trinitarian views? because there is literally no reason why one verse here is literal and the other is not.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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But this takes us back to my original question, why is God telling Moses that he was made a god a "metaphor" and just a comparison etc, but a random layman after getting healed, calling Jesus his lord and god, not a metaphor but 100% literal.

Is it not just Christians nitpicking to fit their trinitarian views? because there is literally no reason why one verse here is literal and the other is not.
An interesting observation! It ties into something I had been pondering on over the last week or so. If there are a range of possible meanings that can be denoted by a statement, how do you know which one is the correct one?

One test is that of context. Where you might have a range of possible meanings, context provides the most likely one. By this process of cross referencing, it is often quickly apparent what is truly meant.

As such, Sudoku is a good analogy for this process...


So, do the wider works of Moses hint that he aspired to deity or that others revered him as such?
 

manama

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An interesting observation! It ties into something I had been pondering on over the last week or so. If there are a range of possible meanings that can be denoted by a statement, how do you know which one is the correct one?

One test is that of context. Where you might have a range of possible meanings, context provides the most likely one. By this process of cross referencing, it is often quickly apparent what is truly meant.

As such, Sudoku is a good analogy for this process...


So, do the wider works of Moses hint that he aspired to deity or that others revered him as such?
These are not answers. Moses performed miracles and so did many other prophets including Jesus. Why does Jesus doing it has to be divine but not the others?

Doesn't this mean that we stand corrected that Jesus didn't ever tell anyone to worship him?
 

Red Sky at Morning

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These are not answers. Moses performed miracles and so did many other prophets including Jesus. Why does Jesus doing it has to be divine but not the others?

Doesn't this mean that we stand corrected that Jesus didn't ever tell anyone to worship him?
It’s slightly off topic but it strikes me that the early verses of Isaiah 42 don’t suggest that Jesus came 2000 years ago to demand worship. Conversely, unlike others, Jesus did not reject worship and dismiss it as inappropriate.

Isaiah 42 King James Version (KJV)

42 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

The closest He came during his lifetime was during the Transfiguration. No other prophet was revealed in divine glory.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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One thing I wanted to bring out is the difference in nature of the Bible and the Qur’an. I’m not trying to use this here to say one is a better structure than another but simply to acknowledge that they are very different in structure.

To apply a metaphor, the Bible can be likened an orchestral piece with various movements and instruments, where one instrument might play a phrase in the first movement which might be picked up with variations in another part of the concert. What might seem unresolved half way through comes back into play in the finale.

As you can appreciate, this is very different to a solo performance, metaphorically applied to the Qur’an.

If you are to understand how to interpret the Bible, you (at least for the sake of discussion) need to realise that it is an integrated whole, not just a jumble of books.
 

TokiEl

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These are not answers. Moses performed miracles and so did many other prophets including Jesus. Why does Jesus doing it has to be divine but not the others?

Doesn't this mean that we stand corrected that Jesus didn't ever tell anyone to worship him?
You are thinking and talking from a perspective which worships Allah.

Allah is an angel... and not God.

In fact Allah has been outed as the Devil himself in Isaiah 14:12-15.
 
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These are not answers. Moses performed miracles and so did many other prophets including Jesus. Why does Jesus doing it has to be divine but not the others?
Perfect point. Also, you should check out Prophet Elijah, in his Old Testament portrayal (1st Kings and 2nd Kings). If anybody in the bible could be logically called "God-incarnated" by way of miracles, then it's Elijah.
But of course, Elijah certainly isn't God, neither is Jesus, they just did a few miraculous things (Elijah and Moses however happened to do even more miraculous things than Jesus)
 
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You are thinking and talking from a perspective which worships God.

God is an angel... and not God.

In fact God has been outed as the Devil himself in Isaiah 14:12-15.
Suddenly sounding a bit Gnostic there aren't you? :rolleyes:
 

Axl888

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Exodus 7:1 KJV

1And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

@manama drew my attention to this passage as one she had some issues with and wanted to discuss.

Certainly, in the English translation it does read a little strangely! I would be interested in unpacking some of the significance of this intriguing verse and the implications it leads to, but I think it is best done as a dialogue rather than a one-way thing.

For clarity, I also include the link the the Hebrew interlinear...

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/7-1.htm
"There is another aspect of this. In the Bible God has quite some humor, and we can find a lot of sarcasm in particular when confronting the false gods of this world. The event of the Exodus in particular was to do just that. this is clear from the following reference in Exodus 12:12 that the LORD intended to "embarrass" the Egyptian gods:

  • For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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.
In fact, not only the last, but all the plagues reported were striking against one or more of the Egyptian gods and showing their helplessness.

When reading "And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: ..." God in effect states that he will make it so that Pharaoh has to bow his will before Moses as much as he might think at this time that he is God, i.e. the absolute ruler whom everyone has to obey."

https://www.answering-islam.org/BibleCom/ex7-1.html
 

manama

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One thing I wanted to bring out is the difference in nature of the Bible and the Qur’an. I’m not trying to use this here to say one is a better structure than another but simply to acknowledge that they are very different in structure.

To apply a metaphor, the Bible can be likened an orchestral piece with various movements and instruments, where one instrument might play a phrase in the first movement which might be picked up with variations in another part of the concert. What might seem unresolved half way through comes back into play in the finale.

As you can appreciate, this is very different to a solo performance, metaphorically applied to the Qur’an.

If you are to understand how to interpret the Bible, you (at least for the sake of discussion) need to realise that it is an integrated whole, not just a jumble of books.
There are always reasons behind why one verse would be literal but the other would be metaphorical. The reason doesn't exist here.
 

manama

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You are thinking and talking from a perspective which worships Allah.

Allah is an angel... and not God.

In fact Allah has been outed as the Devil himself in Isaiah 14:12-15.
Arab Christians call God "Allah". It is THE arabic word for God, not god but God.

Your perspective is the perspective of someone who either doesn't know any other language other than English, is acting like no other language other than English exists or is awfully delusional and thinks that Jesus spoke english.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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There are always reasons behind why one verse would be literal but the other would be metaphorical. The reason doesn't exist here.
That was the starting point I had from your question a few weeks ago. What on earth might it mean?? I started looking into it and was surprised by the implications. Will get back to you with what I came across later...
 

TokiEl

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Arab Christians call God "Allah". It is THE arabic word for God, not god but God.
I know Allah is the generic term for God in Arabic... just as Elah is the generic term for God in Hebraic.

But just because someone calls himself Allah or Elah does not automatically make him God.

When someone claims to be God we ought as intelligent beings put this claim to the test... and not blindly believe just because he calls himself God.


Allah is exposed as the Devil in the Scriptures that is the book of God the Bible by the prophet Isaiah.

What we have here is a case of the Devil calling himself Allah or God and so got a following of blind believers... bothering everybody but especially Jews and Christians... believers in the true God. Although truth be told a lot of them are not good people.
 
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Red Sky at Morning

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Some background might help with what I want to get over @manama - just as in math you should show your working out...

I think there is at least one other illustrative example from the OT where one person in referred to as another (as a metaphor):-

Question: "Is the king of Tyre prophecy in Ezekiel 28 referring to Satan?"

Answer: At first glance, the prophecy in Ezekiel 28:11–19 seems to refer to a human king. The city of Tyre was the recipient of some of the strongest prophetic condemnations in the Bible (Isaiah 23:1–18; Jeremiah 25:22; 27:1–11; Ezekiel 26:1– 28:19; Joel 3:4–8; Amos 1:9, 10).

https://www.gotquestions.org/King-of-Tyre.html

As the Bible has its own characteristic style and use of themes which first appear in one place then crop up in another, phrases like those in Exodus 7:1 should grab our attention.

There are many examples of themes and images that appear in a historical context that are later taken up to unlock their meaning.

The incident with the Bronze serpent and Moses is later taken up in the Gospel of John. in John 3:14 Jesus indicated that this bronze serpent was a foreshadowing of Him. The serpent, a symbol of sin and judgment, was lifted up from the earth and put on a tree, which was a symbol of a curse (Galatians 3:13). The serpent lifted up and cursed symbolized Jesus, who takes away sin from everyone who would look to Him in faith, just like the Israelites had to look to the upraised symbol in the wilderness.

https://www.gotquestions.org/bronze-serpent.html

This hopefully illustrates the idea I mentioned earlier - that the nature of the Bible is a bit like an orchestral piece with different movements and instruments.

Taking the musical analogy a little further, you may be aware of the existence of notes called “accidentals” which don’t quite fit into the main tonal structure. When you hear one of these, your ears should prick up as something in it may well be resolved by the composer later in the performance. The Bronze Serpent is such an accidental - not really alluded to as having significance later and apparently pointless at the time, I believe God gave that sign as to become a pattern for what would come later.

Again, from education, Piaget noted how children learn, moving from “concrete” experience to “abstract” learning later in life. This reflects the relationship between the OT typology and the NT explanations well. In the story of the Road to Emmaus, this principle is brought out beautifully:-

Luke 24

25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Now to the question - have all the parallels been drawn and all the types and meanings been unlocked, or are these some that God has placed in order for us to search out? Perhaps the Parables of Jesus might give us a clue - the Parable of the Sower is explained, but intriguingly, many of the others are not.

Again, with prophecies, some are plain, clear and specific, e.g. Isaiah 53. Others are shown in parallels between people, events and stories. Examples of this are when the Book of Ruth parallels the “Kinsman Redeemer” and the gentile bride.

https://www.gotquestions.org/kinsman-redeemer.html

Moses as a pattern of Jesus - offered Himself for the people took a gentile bride

Numbers 12

3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)

Surely this is either strangely inverted bragging or Moses is prophetically talking about one who was to come? Perhaps the story

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NKJV&search=Numbers+12

We have Moses offering to give himself as a substitute for God’s wrath on the people, he takes a gentile bride - his own kin take against him as a result and speak against him. Miriam, as a result of her opposition is judged with leprosy and put out of the camp. The parallels with Jesus, the unbelieving Jews and the judgement that ultimately fell on them is clear.

Back to Exodus 7:1...

4D402728-067F-41C7-939D-ACB3468963F7.jpeg

I had to post all of the above in order to say this - I believe that when the passage says that Moses will be God to Pharaoh, there is a sense in which Moses will show God’s power to Pharaoh himself, but there is a wider sense in which both Moses and Pharaoh illustrate God speaking to the hard-hearted, unbelieving world. Many people have noted the similarity of the plagues of Egypt to the judgements of Revelation. As many Christians believe we are in the “end times“, this resonance appears to be particularly important.

Before the judgements began, Pharaoh was given two signs by Moses, the staff that was cast down, became a serpent, and was restored to a staff once more, and the sign of the leperous hand...

Exodus 3

Miraculous Signs for Pharaoh

4 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”
2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6 Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. 7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. 8 “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.


Exodus 7

8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ” 10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

I have not read this in any book or watched it on YouTube, but it is a parallel that has stayed with me for a couple of years now...

A rod represents authority. A serpent represents sin...

Joshua 5

The Commander of the Army of the Lord
13And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”
14So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”
15Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

2 Corinthians 5

20Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Philippians 2

9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Many reject the former sign.

There is also a latter sign...

Acts 7

51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

Matthew 21

The Fig Tree Withered
18 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.

Romans 12

Israel’s Rejection Not Final

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their [a]fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

In Revelation, Jesus says he is the “first and the last” and to me the relationship between the first books in the Bible and the last are inescapable.

God is still extending the time of grace, and we can still choose to accept it or refuse it. For those who follow Pharaoh’s example, the words of the Lord to Moses should come as a warning...

Exodus 3

9 And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
 
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manama

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I know Allah is the generic term for God in Arabic... just as Elah is the generic term for God in Hebraic.

But just because someone calls himself Allah or Elah does not automatically make him God.

When someone claims to be God we ought as intelligent beings put this claim to the test... and not blindly believe just because he calls himself God.


Allah is exposed as the Devil in the Scriptures that is the book of God the Bible by the prophet Isaiah.

What we have here is a case of the Devil calling himself Allah or God and so got a following of blind believers... bothering everybody but especially Jews and Christians... believers in the true God. Although truth be told a lot of them are not good people.
Its time for your meds.
 

manama

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Some background might help with what I want to get over @manama - just as in math you should show your working out...

I think there is at least one other illustrative example from the OT where one person in referred to as another (as a metaphor):-

Question: "Is the king of Tyre prophecy in Ezekiel 28 referring to Satan?"

Answer: At first glance, the prophecy in Ezekiel 28:11–19 seems to refer to a human king. The city of Tyre was the recipient of some of the strongest prophetic condemnations in the Bible (Isaiah 23:1–18; Jeremiah 25:22; 27:1–11; Ezekiel 26:1– 28:19; Joel 3:4–8; Amos 1:9, 10).

https://www.gotquestions.org/King-of-Tyre.html

As the Bible has its own characteristic style and use of themes which first appear in one place then crop up in another, phrases like those in Exodus 7:1 should grab our attention.

There are many examples of themes and images that appear in a historical context that are later taken up to unlock their meaning.

The incident with the Bronze serpent and Moses is later taken up in the Gospel of John. in John 3:14 Jesus indicated that this bronze serpent was a foreshadowing of Him. The serpent, a symbol of sin and judgment, was lifted up from the earth and put on a tree, which was a symbol of a curse (Galatians 3:13). The serpent lifted up and cursed symbolized Jesus, who takes away sin from everyone who would look to Him in faith, just like the Israelites had to look to the upraised symbol in the wilderness.

https://www.gotquestions.org/bronze-serpent.html

This hopefully illustrates the idea I mentioned earlier - that the nature of the Bible is a bit like an orchestral piece with different movements and instruments.

Taking the musical analogy a little further, you may be aware of the existence of notes called “accidentals” which don’t quite fit into the main tonal structure. When you hear one of these, your ears should prick up as something in it may well be resolved by the composer later in the performance. The Bronze Serpent is such an accidental - not really alluded to as having significance later and apparently pointless at the time, I believe God gave that sign as to become a pattern for what would come later.

Again, from education, Piaget noted how children learn, moving from “concrete” experience to “abstract” learning later in life. This reflects the relationship between the OT typology and the NT explanations well. In the story of the Road to Emmaus, this principle is brought out beautifully:-

Luke 24

25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Now to the question - have all the parallels been drawn and all the types and meanings been unlocked, or are these some that God has placed in order for us to search out? Perhaps the Parables of Jesus might give us a clue - the Parable of the Sower is explained, but intriguingly, many of the others are not.

Again, with prophecies, some are plain, clear and specific, e.g. Isaiah 53. Others are shown in parallels between people, events and stories. Examples of this are when the Book of Ruth parallels the “Kinsman Redeemer” and the gentile bride.

https://www.gotquestions.org/kinsman-redeemer.html

Moses as a pattern of Jesus - offered Himself for the people took a gentile bride

Numbers 12

3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)

Surely this is either strangely inverted bragging or Moses is prophetically talking about one who was to come? Perhaps the story

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NKJV&search=Numbers+12

We have Moses offering to give himself as a substitute for God’s wrath on the people, he takes a gentile bride - his own kin take against him as a result and speak against him. Miriam, as a result of her opposition is judged with leprosy and put out of the camp. The parallels with Jesus, the unbelieving Jews and the judgement that ultimately fell on them is clear.

Back to Exodus 7:1...

View attachment 26415

I had to post all of the above in order to say this - I believe that when the passage says that Moses will be God to Pharaoh, there is a sense in which Moses will show God’s power to Pharaoh himself, but there is a wider sense in which both Moses and Pharaoh illustrate God speaking to the hard-hearted, unbelieving world. Many people have noted the similarity of the plagues of Egypt to the judgements of Revelation. As many Christians believe we are in the “end times“, this resonance appears to be particularly important.

Before the judgements began, Pharaoh was given two signs by Moses, the staff that was cast down, became a serpent, and was restored to a staff once more, and the sign of the leperous hand...

Exodus 3

Miraculous Signs for Pharaoh

4 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”
2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6 Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. 7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. 8 “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.


Exodus 7

8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ” 10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

I have not read this in any book or watched it on YouTube, but it is a parallel that has stayed with me for a couple of years now...

A rod represents authority. A serpent represents sin...

Joshua 5

The Commander of the Army of the Lord
13And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”
14So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”
15Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

2 Corinthians 5

20Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Philippians 2

9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Many reject the former sign.

There is also a latter sign...

Acts 7

51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

Matthew 21

The Fig Tree Withered
18 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.

Romans 12

Israel’s Rejection Not Final

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their [a]fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

In Revelation, Jesus says he is the “first and the last” and to me the relationship between the first books in the Bible and the last are inescapable.

God is still extending the time of grace, and we can still choose to accept it or refuse it. For those who follow Pharaoh’s example, the words of the Lord to Moses should come as a warning...

Exodus 3

9 And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
This still doesn't answer the question though. The purpose of miracles is to convince people of their authority and their truthfulness. We have multiple people performing miracles, everyone is considered normal, one is considered divine. We lack a "why" here.
 

manama

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I think most people underestimate the words "I never told you to worship me" that according to Muslims, Jesus would say on the judgement day when people would say that they worshipped him and thus it shouldnt be a sin or something along those lines. Because even after 2000 years and various changes, additions and subtractions, even people who consider Jesus to be divine can not find a single place where Jesus commanded people to worship him.
And we are in the age of internet now, suffice to say any further additions or subtractions beyond this point are almost impossible. Which means that this claim that stands true today would stand true in the afterlife because indeed Jesus NEVER said "worship me".
 
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