Hi, I'm Darrell Bailey. Thank you for tuning in our study on the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel chapter 29 verses 1 through 21. New heart, new spirit. This is the 25th series or lesson in the book of Ezekiel that we started out. And so here we deal with the king crocodile or basically God against Egypt. And so God opposes the pride of Egypt and her Pharaoh as we get into our lesson for our Sunday night. And so we look at here again, as it reminds us, for those of us who have grown complacent or cold in our walk with God, a new heart outlines how God desires to bring us closer to him. We look at the prophecy of Ezekiel. And here we're in the predictions against the foreign nations from chapter 25 to chapter 32, and how that we look at all of the kingdoms from Judah, how that they had transpired during this timeframe. Now, remember here a service for Christ, our message is to be able to share the Word of God with the world to support the believer, the minister, and the layman in understanding the preaching and teaching of God's Word. And also that we could prepare everything we can to lead men, women, boys, and girls to give their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ to secure them for eternal life. And then we like to be able to minister to the needy of the world. And then lastly, provide Jesus Christ his proper place which the word gives him. Now, Ezekiel chapter 11 verses 19 and 20, I open with this each time as Ezekiel's name means God strengthens. But he says in Ezekiel chapter 11 verses 19 and 20, And I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and I will give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in my statues and keep my ordinances and do them and they shall be my people and I will be their God. But also as service for Christ, we continue on with the Ezekiel chapter 36. verses 26 and 27 that it tells us a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. And so we'll be starting off for centuries Egypt was one of the dominant powers in the ancient world. And now thousands of years later, archaeological discoveries and the Great Pyramids still attest to the magnificent of Egypt's ancient civilization. During the days of Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Egypt's military power began to spiral downward. And so, in 605 BC, which you'll look at right around in through this time frame right in here, that you'll begin to see that Babylon's powerful war machine broke the back of the Egyptians army in the famous Battle of Carchemish. Now I talked about this in Battles of the Bible. Now, in the years that followed, Egypt attempted to regain its dominance over the surrounding nations. But Pharaoh encouraged King Zedekiah of Judah to rebel against Babylon, and this rebellion led to the utter destruction of Jerusalem. Although the Egyptians attempted to break the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem and rescue Judah, Nebuchadnezzar soundly defeated them, sent them fleeing back to Egypt, and later, after he destroyed Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar would take vengeance upon Egypt. Now, Egypt is the seventh and the final nation that Ezekiel pronounced God's judgment upon. The prophet paid far more attention to Egypt than he did to any of the other nations. Four complete chapters, one twelfth of the entire book of Ezekiel, focuses on God's coming judgment upon the unbelieving Egyptians. In these four chapters, Ezekiel gives Egypt seven messages from God. These messages are very easy to spot because each one begins with these words. Listen. The word of the Lord came to me. And so these messages were so important that Ezekiel recorded the date that he preached them except in one case in Ezekiel chapter 30 verse 1. He probably did not record the date of the third message because he delivered it immediately after the second one, hand in hand. And so remember that Ezekiel was giving these prophecies to the Jewish exiles and that news did not travel fast in those days and time. They didn't have texts. They didn't have iPhones. They didn't have telephones. And they didn't even have telegraph or anything. Nevertheless, with God at work behind the scenes, the news would soon reach the Egyptians and other nations in the Middle East. And so, God's judgment of Egypt, the nation to the southwest of the seven descriptions of coming judgment, part one, that will go on all the way into probably chapter 32. But here we begin to look and realize that God's judgment would slay the monstrous leaders of the nation and citizens who followed them. We see a picture that will be coming of God's controlling the fate of nations in Ezekiel chapter 29. And so here we see a new heart, a new spirit, the 25th lesson or series of Ezekiel chapter 29 verses 1 through 21. Seven descriptions of a coming judgment of Egypt, part one. Now, God's judgment will slay the monstrous leaders of the nations and the citizens who follow these evil leaders. The prophet Ezekiel declared that God would judge Pharaoh and the Egyptian people. But he also prophesied that God would have mercy upon the Egyptians. And so, we note that Ezekiel preached this particular message on the 12th day of the 10th month in the 10th year of his exile in Babylon. Based upon the modern calendar that would have been January the 7th, 587 BC, this was about a year after Babylon had set up its siege of Jerusalem and approximately seven months before the capital fell in Ezekiel chapter 24 verses 1 and 2. The Lord instructed Ezekiel to pronounce his coming judgment upon Pharaoh and the Egyptian people in verses 1 and 2. Now, here we've saw the call of the prophet in chapters 1, 2, and 3. In chapters 4 through 24, God's judgment on Jerusalem given before the siege of Jerusalem. And currently in Ezekiel chapter 25 all the way to Ezekiel chapter 32, which I said earlier, will be God's judgment on the Muslim nations. And this in particular will be finishing up with Egypt. Now, we have dealt with several of the nations thus far that we were talking about, because we talked about Ammon, Moab, Eden, Philistia, or the Philistines, Tauri, and last time we were talking about Sidon. And so We know that after we conclude these prophecies about the enemies of Israel, we're reaching the second half of Ezekiel's prophecy. Because in the second half of this book, starting at chapter 33, down to chapter 48, the restoration of the Jews, we will enter a new section of prophecy looking at the kingdom to come. And so, Here we see Ezekiel's prophecy against Egypt that's divided into seven distinct messages. And of these, we realize that this prophecy regarding Egypt came to Ezekiel before the fall of Jerusalem. And at this time, there were still some in Judah and Jerusalem who hoped that Egypt would rescue them from the powerful Babylonians. But Ezekiel chapter 29 begins with a four chapter series of prophecies against Egypt, and this was necessary because even though Egypt held Israel in slavery for 400 years, Israel also had an impulse to look to Egypt in times of a crisis that predated their years of slavery. going all the way back to Abraham's earliest days in Canaan in Genesis chapter 12 verses 10 through 20. Isaiah warned God's people, word of those who go down to Egypt for help in Isaiah chapter 31 verse 1, even in Jeremiah and Ezekiel's day that they still look to Egypt for help instead of trusting God and his plan. And so as we realized in reading this prophecy and that of Jeremiah, the political thing that then that cheated by the look of these people toward Egypt where they were looking for all of their help instead of God Almighty the creator of everything. This accounted for the length and the definiveness of these messages. And so the date given in Ezekiel chapter 29 verse 1 is very explicit. It was a year and two days after Nebuchadnezzar had invested Jerusalem and so and seven months before its destruction And so here we look and we begin to see of God's judgment on the Muslim nations. And as we get into that in the future days, because here we're looking right now at Egypt in this area right in here, Egypt that we're talking about. Later on, we'll get into the Rosh, the Magog, the Persia, Qush, and Put. of all of the rest of the prophecies of God as we get on into Ezekiel 38 and 39. And so, right here in Egypt is where we're talking about right now, in all of Israel's borders, that we begin to realize that the Egyptians were going to face God's judgment because of their terrible sins. And because of this, He said, set your face against Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Egypt had long been an enemy of the people of Israel, both as the place of the long slavery and as a constant temptation, both spiritually and politically. And Ezekiel was set in his face against Pharaoh, king of Egypt, because God said, behold, I am against you. It might seem strange that an exiled prophet of little Israel thought that he had the place to speak to a great kingdoms like Egypt. Yet Ezekiel represented the God of the whole earth. And the secular historians saw Israel dwarfed into insignificance by mighty neighbors, the religious commentators and the prophets saw the great powers that held firmly in the hand of a little Israel's mighty God, hallelujah. And so, although the prophet does not mention him by name, the Pharaoh at the time was Hathorah. H-O-P-H-R-A. I believe it was Hopra II who attacked Nebuchadnezzar in the spring of 588 BC and it forced the Babylonians to lift their siege of Jerusalem. In this same Pharaoh mentioned in Jeremiah chapter 44 verse 30, the Bible says, thus says the Lord, behold I will give Pharaoh, Hopra, King of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah, king of Judah, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylon, his enemy, who sought his life. And so, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, God likened Egypt to one of the great crocodiles that lived in the Nile and associated with the rivers. the great monster that is referred to as the creature of the crocodile, the river of the Nile, sprout out in the channels of the river, the figure of Pharaoh himself, whose princes also were fitly compared to lesser fishes, and Egypt to waters wherewith it abounded. And so we look and we see of the prophecy of judgment, that comes upon the fate of Judah before the siege foes of Judah during the siege here during that seven years of prophesying of horror and no hope we look and we see Ezekiel chapters 25 all the way to chapter 32 where we're currently in Ezekiel chapter 29 of the judgments against the gloating nations and so here We see that, as we said earlier, we've been talking about the judgment on the nations of Ammon, Moab, Edom, Phisteria, or Philistines, Tyre, which was a type of Satan, Sidon, and now the seventh of that judgment of nations, Egypt. As we look at Ezekiel chapter 29, 30, 31, and 32, when we deal with the judgment on the nation of Egypt. And so here we've dealt with all of these in the locations as we look at them, each one that we've dealt with and currently with Egypt right now. And so as we look and we begin to realize of the oracles against the nations as we continue to show later on we'll get back into Ezekiel chapter 33 where it deals with the oracles of salvation. Hallelujah. Here we see Ezekiel's references from the year of deportation to modern date. Now, I'm going to say this several times, but I want to point this out in Ezekiel chapter 29, verse 1, and then the time frame of years will change as I get on further into scripture into Ezekiel chapter 29, verse 17. Notice the difference. the 12th year of January 587 BC. But when we get on down into the scripture of Ezekiel chapter 29 verse 17, there's a timeframe change that is not chronologically in order, so to speak. And so it will go on into the 27th year, April 571 BC of the timeframe that I just want to specify before we get there. And so the sins and the punishments of Egypt that we'll be talking about, in Ezekiel chapter 29 verses 1 through 16 of Pharaoh of Hopra that was filled with pride that he brought low according to Jeremiah chapter 44 verse 30 as Hopra is known outside the Bible in Egyptian inscriptions with reflections in Babylonian inscriptions regarding Nebuchadnezzar's defeat of Hopra in 572 and replacing him on the throne of Egypt with a general that was one of his generals who later rebelled against Babylon and was suppressed and so that overthrew Pharaoh during that time frame. the sins and the punishments as well, that Egypt had given false hope, unreliable support to Israel in Ezekiel chapter 29 verses 6 and 7, Isaiah chapter 36 verse 6, and Jeremiah chapter 37 verses 5 through 7. Egypt would be desolate for 40 years according to Ezekiel chapter 29 verses 8 through 14. It would never rise to its previous preeminence according to Ezekiel chapter 29 verses 15 and 16. Now, let's pause for a word of prayer. Father, thank you so much for the wonderful word of God. God, I pray that you will teach us and instruct us as we try to apply some of this spiritually to our own lives today that we're going through in America. Lord, we're always dependent on someone else, material things. Lord, there's a lot of our politicians that have sold out America to foreign countries, and they have literally bought this country up. Lord, As we speak of this, we realize that there's a lot of foreign soldiers on our soil right now that are checking out the electrical grids across this nation of how that they could take down the electricity of our nation. I believe this and I pray about it. And I ask God for your protection until the time of the rapture of the church that you'll watch over us as we've been sold out by politicians across this nation. and how that it shuts down our corporations, how that many people are going to lose their jobs and father without power, that this country is going to be desolate where many people will starve. They don't know how to support themselves without electricity. Many people lose their jobs and it will be the downfall of America that will be an undermined as we speak. And so, Lord, I pray for the nation of America. And Father, I pray that as we look at many politicians that look for all of the other resources across America, we realize that our number one go-to is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the United States of America. Now, Father, touch each and every one that listens to the teaching of the Word of the Book of Ezekiel in chapter 29, verses 1 through 21, and add your blessings to it. And, Father, I pray that you enlighten us and give us that you'd have us say that would strengthen and give a better understanding to the Word of God across this nation to our many Christians that are born again and then saved by the marvelous grace of Jesus Christ. Lord, touch those that are lost and those, Lord, that listen to this. In the latter days, Father, when the church has been raptured out, that they'll be trying to figure out what's happened to all these people and all the ones that have disappeared during the time of the rapture. Someone will try to explain it away, but there'll be no explanation except for you've come for your church and you've left behind those ones that chose not to accept you, and it will cost them their lives. Some, Lord, can get saved if they'll humble themselves, but Lord, it'll be hard on their families and their loved ones. And I pray for them during this time in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Now, we look and we see in Ezekiel chapter 29, the crown of Egypt itself. Here in verse 1, in the 10th year, in the 10th month, In the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Ezekiel was given a message of judgment about Pharaoh and the land of Egypt. And this is the first of four chapters of denouncements upon Egypt, the country that played such a significant part in the nation of Israel. And so we see that The Lord has instructed Israel to pronounce his coming judgment upon Pharaoh and the Egyptian people. And in the 10th year, this prophecy regarding Egypt came to Ezekiel before the fall of Jerusalem. And at this time, there were still some in Judah and Jerusalem who hoped that Egypt would rescue them from the powerful Babylonians. Now, seven prophecies against Egypt. that we look at. Now I've showed you the 29th verse 1 and I've already showed you the 17th of Ezekiel 29 of how these dated during Jehoiachin's captivity. Jerusalem besieged on the 9th year, the 10th month and it fell on the 11th year, the 4th month, the 9th day of 2 Kings chapter 25. Now He goes on, he says, Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. Speak and say, thus saith the Lord God. Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which has said my river is mine own and I've made it for myself. Can you see that? Pharaoh was taking credit as a god that he was the creator of the Nile. And so it's sad that he said my river is my own and I've made it for myself. This was the proud boast of Egypt and her Pharaoh. They believed that the great Nile River both belonged to them and was created by them. They refused to recognize and honor the God of Israel as the creator and the owner of all. And so the river Nile watereth Egypt and maketh it fruitful beyond everything they do but cast in the seed and have four rich harvests in less than four months. But hence the Egyptians were proud. They were superstitious. And so the Nile was the source of Egypt's greatness. It provided rich soil among its banks and beyond which the desert, and it provided a continuous supply of water to irrigate the land and begin to take care of the thirst of the Egyptians and their animals. And you know, on the Nile, the Egyptians had markings around the river Nile of the piles that they would keep a check on the levels of the river of the Nile itself. And so here the river made a tremendous difference in the lives of the Egyptians. And so we see the attitude of God. I'm against the Pharaoh king of Egypt. And the appellation from God, he said, the great dragon that lies in the midst of his rivers. And here we see the accusation from God. He said, listen, you said my river is mine own and I've made it for myself, Pharaoh. That is not yours to say. I'm the creator. I'm God. I'm the one that made everything that you have that you consider to be great by. And so We look, the Egyptians were going to face God's judgment because of their terrible sins. God's indictment focused upon Pharaoh because he was the leader. He was the representative of the people. And Pharaoh's sins were so horrible that God addressed him as the monster. He was guilty of two sins in particular, self-exaltation and disloyalty. And so Pharaoh was guilty of sinful pride, exalting himself above all others. He believed that he reigned supreme over everyone and everything within his reach. And at the time of king of Egypt was Pharaoh Hopra. who ruled from about 589 to 570 BC, as I said earlier, in Jeremiah chapter 44 verse 30. And the history describes him as a very strong ruler. He launched successful campaigns against Cyprus and Gaza, according to Jeremiah chapter 47 verse 1. And Sidon was victorious in a sea battle against Tyre and his control of the surrounding nations extended to Palestine and Phoenicia. Because of his enormous power, he felt as though no one could defeat him, just like Tyree felt like they could be, no one could defeat them. And so Pharaoh He felt invincible because of his wealth. He believed that all of the successful industries and businesses surrounding the Nile River were due to his intelligence, his initiative, and that he acted as if he alone was responsible for Egypt's prosperity. And in fact, Scripture says that he began to act as if the Nile River belonged to him. how that he was exalting himself, acting totally self-sufficient, and in his sinful pride, he was totally ignoring and rejecting the Lord, the Creator, the source of every good and perfect gift. And so, through Ezekiel, God said that he was going to catch that monster, pull him from the Nile with fish, stick him to his scales. Listen to the reading of the Word of God. Now, I'm sorry, I look like I stuck something in the way right there that I didn't mean to. And but as he said, he says, but I will put hooks. in your jaws and I will cause the fish of the rivers to stick in your scales and I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers and all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales and I will leave you in the wilderness and you and all the fish of your rivers and you shall fall on the ocean field you shall not be picked up or gathered I've given you as food and so we see here That through Ezekiel, God said that he would catch the monster and pull him from the Nile with fish sticking to his scales. He compared Pharaoh to a monster in the Nile River, probably a crocodile. and the Egyptian people to fish like a fisherman. The Lord was going to put hooks in the jaws of the crocodile, pull it ashore along with all of the fish. And then Ezekiel, as he tells us, he goes on, he says, first, the removal and the curse, I'm going to bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers. And secondly, the relocation, I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness. And thirdly, he tells us in the fifth verse, which I read just a few minutes ago, that into the wilderness that he's talking about. He said, I will leave you in the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers, and you shall fall in the open field and you shall not be picked up or gathered. And I will give you, be given as food. And so the repast, I've given thee for meat to the beast of the field and to the fowls of heaven. He says here that he tells us the relocation, I'm going to leave thee thrown into the wilderness. the rim I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick into thy scales." And he goes on he says, and all the inhabitants of Egypt, listen, that he says several times, several times that he says, shall know that I am the Lord, shall know that I am the Lord, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. Now, here Pharaoh was guilty of being disloyal, of failing to keep his word, And so when we look at this and we begin to realize that some of the things that we see in front of us, that he tells us as he puts hooks in their jaws, speaking like a great hunter of the crocodiles, he says all the fish in the rivers will stick to your scales. And so I've given you as food to the beast of the field, amen, is what he's telling them. And so here, God will glorify himself through the judgment of Egypt, because all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord. The coming judgment upon Egypt would show them that Yahweh, the God of Israel, did in fact rule. And when they leaned on you, you broke, just like a reed. Judah hoped to rely on Egypt's power to help them against the Babylonian empire. But they were like a staff of reed to the house of Israel. Egypt was a target of God's judgment and could never help Judah who also appointed for God's judgment. And so here we see a reference to the half-hearted response of Pharaoh of Hopra to Zedekiah's appeal for help in Jeremiah chapter 47 verse 7 because little is known of this action except that it produced only a temporary lull in the siege of Jerusalem. But I'm going to tell you we can presume that it was little more than a token on the Egyptians part. And so Here we see that he did not fulfill his promise to God's people. In his desire to have a buffer between Egypt and Babylon, Pharaoh had sought to form an alliance with the surrounding independent nations. He hoped that an alliance of buffer nations would keep Babylon from invading Egypt. But Zedekiah thought that Judah would also benefit from joining the alliance. He believed that it would enable Judah to assert its independence from the Babylonian Empire. And so Zedekiah joined Pharaoh's alliance and rebelled against Babylon. and that was not what God wanted them to do. In response to Nebuchadnezzar's invaded Judah and he besieged Jerusalem and although Pharaoh marched out and engaged the Babylonians he was defeated, he fled back to Egypt without making any further attempt to defeat the Babylonian army and Ezekiel said that Egypt splintered like a reed and so Pharaoh failed to help Israel and his failure led to utter destruction of Jerusalem. When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break and rend all their shoulder, and when they leaned upon thee, thou breakest and madest all their loins to be at a stand, because they were like a reed. Hear the danger! Egypt is a pearl to trust, and for they hurt not help the nation that trusts in them. And so, We realize that out of all of this, that the Egyptians had a reputation for making promises and not keeping them. You can go back and run a reference on this in 2 Kings chapter 18 verses 20 and 21, Isaiah chapter 36 verse 6, because it was the sin of the Jews to trust Egypt. It was Egypt's great sin to falsify a promise with the Jews. And for this, God now punished Egypt. And so we see that God's pronouncing his judgment on Pharaoh and the Egyptian people. And, uh, sorry about that. Let me see if I can get that back up. And so here we begin to realize, uh, that, uh, that's a little bit better. Amen. I like that. And so here, as we continue on and go forward, that because of their arrogance, the Egyptians would see their land totally destroyed. And so here, Ezekiel 29, verse 8, Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold God, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. And so here we begin to realize that surely because of their arrogance that Pharaoh and his people had ignored a truth that God's prophets had proclaimed time and time again that God stands against all leaders and nations who exalt themselves higher than they should. And so we look and we begin to realize that the land will lie desolate for 40 years as we come into that. Egypt will be will in judgment be depleted of its inhabitants, even its animals, because bad rulers make bad nations. And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste and they shall know that I am the Lord. Again, we read that because he has said the river is mine and I have made it. And so. We see. He goes on, Behold, therefore, I am against thee and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate from the tower of Cyrene under the border of Ethiopia. And so, as he tells us here, that he says the river is mine. It is mine. And so Egypt had pride that they boasted on, as we said, that didn't belong to them. And so from Migdal to Cyrene, from Dan to Beersheba is the expression, as far as the border of Cush defines the borders of the country, neither foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast pass through it, cause God promised that there would be great devastation to Egypt lasting 40 years and it would be desolate nation with cities that are laid waste, desolate Because no such 40-year period is known in Egyptian period. But some claim that a literal fulfillment of this prophecy was never intended that it was to be taken as just a hyperpole. But there is nothing in the context that would indicate a shift from the literal to the figurative. He says, I will scatter the Egyptian among the nations. And I'm going to tell you, as we realize that he will make them desolate. that we begin to realize that of all the things that he's talking about here still the Lord would show mercy on them but because of their errors from one border of their nation to the other from north to south and reaching as far as Cush or Ethiopia Egypt would be destroyed and the cities would be devastated and the people would be scattered throughout the nations of the Babylonian empire and the land would lie desolate and so Sorry about that, as I'm touching some things that I shouldn't be. And so, no foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. Amen. And so the first problem people have in understanding this passage in Ezekiel chapter 29 verses 17 through 21 is chronologically, as I said earlier, because while we're given a period of 40 years, we're not given a starting point. And Babylon's rule over the the Levant was a period of 70 years from the fall of the Syrian kingdom in October of 609 B.C. to the fall of Babylon on the night of October 13, 539 B.C. This passage in Ezekiel was written on January 26, 586 B.C., nearly six months prior to the fall of Jerusalem. But however, according to Ezekiel 29, verses 17-21, Egypt will be given to Nebuchadnezzar for his service in the destruction of Tyre whose judgments are described in the three preceding chapters which I've talked about and so He says in verse 12, And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and the cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years. And listen, I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and will disperse them through the countries. This judgment will last forty years for the land of Egypt is what they prophesied. And it speaks of the captivity of the people of Egypt themselves. And so the Lord Himself, He says, I'm going to show mercy though to the Egyptians because in verses 13, 14, 15, and 16, He says, we'll do this, but I'm still, I will show mercy to them. Because here, as He said, it speaks of the captivity of the people of Egypt. He said, I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and would disperse them through the countries. And from the Bible record we can assume that it happened shortly after Ezekiel said Nebuchadnezzar was given Egypt as compensation for his attack on Tyre. And so the secular chronological agrees an ancient clay tablet now residing in the British Museum known as the Nebuchadnezzar inscription that talks about Nebuchadnezzar's actions against Egypt in his 37th year That would be two years after Ezekiel said Egypt would be given to Babylon by Jehovah. Ezekiel makes his prophecy in 590 BCE and Nebuchadnezzar's 37th year is two years later in 588 BCE. When he attacks Egypt, we can assume the Nebuchadnezzar inscription is correct on this point because it agrees with our biblical chronological order. So Egypt's 40-year desolation begins in that year. If we count 40 years, we come to the year 548 BCE as the end of Egypt's desolation, when Jehovah would bring back the captive group of the Egyptians for them to become a lowly kingdom, never to be as mighty, maybe a third world power. But secular chronologically also records that the last Babylonian king, Nabonicus, held an alliance against the Persians with Amysses II, the king of Egypt, in addition to the Lydian Empire, so far from being a competing world power, Egypt is now a lowly kingdom just as the Bible predicted. And so, Here we see that in Ezekiel chapter 29 verse 13, yet thus saith the Lord God at the end of 40 years, here is the conclusion of the judgment and that he says that I will give mercy to the Egyptians. He said at the end of the 40 years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whether they were scattered. the Egyptians will return to the land at the end of the 40 years of captivity and so the Lord himself promised to bring them back and after the exile of the 40 years but when they return Egypt would be only a minor kingdom because as uninhabited for 40 years there's two views that goes into this on the time frames that I want to throw up because out of these, I'm going to leave this here for a little bit, but there are two views of this prophecy, is that it occurred in 588 BCE, two years after Ezekiel made his prophecy, in 590 BCE, which sets the destruction of Jerusalem at 507 BC instead of 587 BCE, Egypt being carried off in captivity, and so are those remnants of Jerusalem who fled to Egypt in captivity period ended with an alliance of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon with King Amasis II of Egypt. And since Egypt had already been taken captive, it was reduced to a vassal state by a later date agreed with the prophecy of Ezekiel. However, all of this fails if the Babylonian captivity started in 568 BCE, then Egypt would have only been captive 21 years and even if there were no alliance between Babylon and Egypt from Nebuchadnezzar's inscription tablet in the British Museum Cyrus would have freed all the captives eight years later in 539 BCE to try to explain some of that and so the second view is that it's a future prophecy that could come waiting to be fulfilled and so Here, although Egypt had long ceased from the age of Pharaoh being a world power, conclusive source to prove or disprove that one would not be able to walk from one or the other for 40 years, given that assertion, it suggests that the prophecy would have to wait till the future times to be fulfilled. So you can take your pick on that. I don't know myself, but I believe that if most of that had been fulfilled, as they were never as great, but they became great again because Alexander the Great, under his Greek taking on of Egypt, began to make Egypt better than it had ever been during that time frame. And so there's a lot of different explanations for that, but I wanted to put that in there for some of you to explain about the time frame of those 40 years. And so he says, I will bring again the captivity of Egypt and will cause them to return to the land of Pythoros in the land of their habitation, and they shall be there a base kingdom. Here, the Egyptians will return to the land at the end of the 40 years of captivity. And so as we look and realize that He will gather them all back together, the lowest of the kingdoms that suffered from Nebuchadnezzar's invasion, his rule over the nations that were broken and never regained. They declined really under the Persians, the Ptolemies. In Rome, Egypt had been a weak country in the centuries since, except for a momentary revival of power during the Middle Ages. No longer shall it be the confidence of the house of Israel. And one reason God would bring Egypt low and diminish them was so that Israel would no longer put their misplaced trust in Egypt. Here we see a diminished state of Egypt that reminds them of their iniquity when they turn to follow them. Nebuchadnezzar will plunder Egypt in verses 17 and 18 that he begins to talk about this and go into it. And so still the Lord will show mercy. When they returned, Egypt would be only a minor kingdom and never again to be exalted as a sovereign ruler as they were in the coming days. The Egyptians would never regain their formal power. Israel would never again place its trust in them as well. It shall be the basis of the kingdoms. Neither shall it exalt itself anymore above the nations, for I will diminish them that they shall no more rule over the nations of the conclusion of that. And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance when they shall look after them again. He repeats it, but they shall know that I am the Lord God. The judgment upon Egypt will cure Israel of putting confidence in Egypt instead of God for their help. And so Ezekiel warned Pharaoh and the Egyptian people of God's coming judgment. So God's word warns us, America, the Lord is going to judge every human being who has ever lived. He will judge us for our self-exaltation and disloyalty just as he judged the Egyptians. But he will also judge us for all the other sins that we've committed in our bodies. We will all give an account for everything that we've done, whether good or whether bad. But I'm gonna tell you something. God reassures us in his word in Matthew chapter 16, verse 17, for the son of man shall come in the glory of his father with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. And so I'm glad that every one of us as we look at life today, In Revelation 22, 12, the Bible says, And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. The psalmist said in Psalm 62, 12, Also unto thee, O Lord, belong with mercy, for thou renderest to every man according to his work. And so I'm thankful that every one of us, as Ezekiel told us, In Ezekiel 18, verse 30, a while back, he said, Great in counsel, mighty in work, for thy eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men to give everyone, excuse me, that's Jeremiah 32, verse 19, that he says, Great in counsel, mighty in work, for thy eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. And so it brings us to the next time frame of verse 17. Again, reminding you that here in verse 17, the 27th year of April 571 BC, that Egypt would be conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. The plunder of Egypt would be given to Nebuchadnezzar's army because it received nothing for its efforts against Tyre and Israel would return to power at the time that the power and wealth of Egypt waned. Here, and it came to pass in the seventh and the twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, The conquering of Egypt." Here, God's judgment would pay the wages due to the work of any nation or people. Ezekiel declared that God would pay Babylon the wages due for the work that he had done, and Ezekiel delivered this message in the 27th year of Ezekiel's exile. And so, based on the modern calendar, the date was set for April 26, 571 BC, which is the latest date recorded in the book of Ezekiel, verse 17. Prophecy was intriguing because the Lord said that he would pay King Nebuchadnezzar for his service in executing judgment against Tyree in verses 18, 19, and 20. Keep in mind that God had appointed King Nebuchadnezzar as his agent to execute judgment on Tyree because of the city's wickedness, and I've said this in my past studies of the Book of Ezekiel, and the campaign proved to be far more difficult than Nebuchadnezzar had ever anticipated. He besieged the city, as I said a while back, for 13 years before it collapsed, and by the time Nebuchadnezzar raided his treasury, most of the wealth had already disappeared. Apparently Egypt had helped the king of Tyre ship the city's wealth to an island fortress and then relocated it. And whatever the case, King Nebuchadnezzar did not get enough plunder to cover the expense of the war. And therefore the Lord instructed Ezekiel to make two promises to Nebuchadnezzar. First, Babylon would be the Lord's agent to execute judgment against Egypt. Secondly, Babylon would plunder Egypt's enormous wealth and Nebuchadnezzar would then use the wealth to pay his soldiers for their long campaign against Tyre. God was going to reward Nebuchadnezzar because he had been serving as the Lord's agent. And so here, during that invasion, a rival of Pharaoh of Hopra, the second, rebelled against him and had him killed. Egypt's fall would have two wonderful results for Israel because the strength or the horn of Israel would grow and the people would know that the Lord is the only true God according to verse 21 and so it's a very clear reference to the restoration of Israel on the day that the Lord set the Jews free from Babylonian captivity hallelujah praise God He would give them a horn, which is a symbol of strength and power, as 1 Samuel 2, verse 1. 1 Kings 22, verse 11. Psalms 92, verse 10. Jeremiah 48, verse 25. references. And then this particular passage, Ezekiel would probably use the word in two ways. First, he used it to symbolize the strength that God was going to give Israel as they face the future challenge of restoration. And second, he used it to point to the rise of a powerful leader who would bring about the growth of Israel, most likely a reference to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so as used here, the horn, that would grow for Israel as he continues to go forward. Eight years have passed since the previous prophecy of Ezekiel 29, verse 1. The siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar occurred over a period of 13 years, as I said a while ago, from 586 to 571 BC. Whenever this gift to Nebuchadnezzar would occur, it must begin after the siege of Tyre. Specifically, this occurred in 564 BC and ended with the arrival of Cambyses in 525 BC. Here again of the prophecies, the seven prophecies against Egypt that go forward in all the scriptures and chapters during Jehoiachin's captivity. He says in verse 18, son of man, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon caused his army to serve as a great service against Tyrus. Every head was made bald. Every shoulder was peeled yet. had he no wages nor his army for Tyrus for the service that he had served against it. Remember, because of the 13-year siege, he was not able and it gave time that Egypt helped them ship out a lot of the riches that was taken out. And so, here we begin to realize that, or the tragedy that began to transpire and take place from this. And so, Here we see that Jesus Christ has fulfilled the prophecies of the righteous branch of the promised Messiah. that he tells us. Nebuchadnezzar was the great king designated in the image of Daniel chapter 2. And so Conqueror Pau is prophesied here. Therefore, thus said the Lord God, behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he shall take her multitude, take her spoils, take her prey, and it shall be the wages for his army. And I've given him the land of Egypt for his labor, wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord God. And so, here we begin to realize the power as Christ is our righteousness, amen, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all, that belief, for there is no difference, as Paul said in Romans chapter 3 verse 22. Christ is our Redeemer, He's our Restorer, our Protector, our Defender, praise God. Paul said in Ephesians 2, 17, And He came and preached peace to you which were far off, and to them that were nigh. And Christ is our wisdom, He's our understanding, and He's our strength. As Luke chapter 2, verse 52, And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. And I'm glad that Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 24, but unto them, which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. And then we see Christ is our servant because in Matthew 12, verse 18, he says, behold, my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved and whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. Here we see Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon were God's tools to accomplish judgment upon the many nations, including Tyrus and Egypt. And God gave Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar as a wage for his service of destroying Tyrus. Lastly, in verse 21, In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them. And again, he says it as he repeated all through this, they shall know that I am the Lord. The destruction of Egypt gave Israel renewed life, for Egypt was a curse to Israel. Out of all the things that we see, how that everything that began to transpire, we look and we begin to realize that every head was made bald, every shoulder rubbed raw. That referred to the chaffening effects of helmets and armor. since the Babylonian strategies involved a siege rather than a battle. To think of the back-breaking work involved in carrying out a siege, the baldness, the raw soldiers were the effects of carrying the vast amounts of dirt required to construct a siege mounds and ramps, and they were in an unsuccessful attempt to build a causeway to the island fortress. Now, we know that Alexander the Great did it for Tyree, don't we? God will give Egypt as plunder to Nebuchadnezzar. He said, surely I'll give the land of Egypt because the Babylonian king had received so little from his conquest that God promised to compensate him by giving Nebuchadnezzar the wealth, the spore and the tillage of Egypt. And so in that day, I'm going to cause the horn of the house of Israel to spring forth. God allowed Egypt to be pillaged. He would also restore the strength of Israel and God would reveal himself to Israel and the world and they shall know that I am the Lord. The horn of the house of Israel. Boy, I'm going to tell you, making the restoration of Israel because of the Messiah of Jesus himself that would come forth. Here we begin to realize that God, he says, you know what? He says, I'm going to open my mouth. I'm going to open your mouth to speak in their midst. And it seems to mean that the captives regarding Ezekiel would be removed and they would come to regard him as a true prophet. And so the symbol around 586 BC, It refers to the strength and the encouragement that Israel was to receive when she observed God's faithfulness to execute His judgment on our army in Egypt in accord with both these prophecies and the Abrahamic covenant of Genesis chapter 12 verse 3. And you know, I'm glad as we look and we begin to realize that of all the things that God is going to do. Here as we get ready to close out, Egypt's judgment would be complete as next time we get in the 30th chapter verses 1 through 19 Egypt's allies would feel the pain and the anguish of a destruction by Nebuchadnezzar the day of the Lord in a reference to God's temporal judgment on Egypt and human history in Egypt's idolatrous cities would be laid waste throughout the land later on next time when we get into Ezekiel chapter 30 verses 13 through 19 the arm of fable and so as we close out with new heart, new spirit of lesson 25 of Ezekiel chapter 29 verses 1 through 21 of the seven descriptions of the coming judgment of Egypt, part one. Thank you for tuning us in. Father, we thank you for the word of God. And Lord, I ask your blessings that may we learn as many leaders, many people out there think that they can't be undone, but Lord, you're in control of everything. You're the one that will see us through the times that we're in in America today. Not those in leadership positions, but through your power and your mind that we trust you each and every day. We ask blessings to go out to all of our churches. We are thankful for our former church of People's Valley and all of theirs, their pastor, Michael Stork. We send blessings their way with our prayers for all of them. and also where we're currently at at Bethel Crossroads with Pastor King Dipsy and all of their congregation. We had blessings unto them and their prayer list. And Jesus is marvelous. Mighty name. Amen.