This was originally posted elsewhere, 6 months ago, in October, 2005.
You will read below a clear argument that the 10th Plague, death of the first born, was a disease that matches very closely what we here call bird flu.
It was a deadly disease which spread quickly and was in multiple mammals at the same time.
It transmitted in a way that was ascribed to God's Angel of Death as it transmitted without any then visible or explicable delivery method.
It led to bleeding, probably profuse bleeding.
It killed quickly.
It killed the young, not the first born (Moses and the Pharoah both survived).
The animals, including cattle and probably sheep, were infected.
The reaction by the Jews, especially Moses, was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, with the Jews "wandering" in the desert for 50 years, until Moses died; they stayed away from cities.
Blame was placed on the Jews by the Egyptians because they too had no other explanation for why so many young people died so quickly.
Law and Order broke down, it appears. Serious trouble politically occurred. In the chaos, the Jews who apparently saw this coming moved away.
There are some curiosities about borrowing gold and silver from neighbors, on which there is room for discussion.
Please feel free to amplify with your challenges and comments.
Enjoy,
Gaudia Ray
FIRST, THE RELEVANT QUOTES FROM EXODUS 11 & 12 (easily found on the internet)
10th Plague...pardon the pompous use of the English language. Just think about what they were doing; this is both an historical review and an instruction booklet:
EXODUS:
Chapter 11:
1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.
2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.
3 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.
4 And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
8 And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger
[snip]
CHAPTER 12
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
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 an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
[IN ESSENCE, PREPARE...PACK IN PREP'S.]
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:
[LOOK... THE ANIMALS WERE SICK; SO GOD SAID, PICK ANIMALS TO EAT THAT ARE NOT SICK. AND LOOK WHAT ANIMAL IT WAS, IT WAS MAMMALIAN. IT WAS SHEEP. A SHEEP DISEASE.
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.
[MAYBE THE RED BLOOD WAS TO FRIGHTEN MARAUDERS WHO SAW BLOOD AND BECAME SCARED. MAYBE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE INFECTED WERE VOMITING BLOOD. MAYBE THIS WAS NOT THE FLU BUT A HEMMORHAGIC FEVER THAT WAS GOING ON?
NO,GR, IT WAS THE FLU! THEY WERE EXPERIENCING CYTOKINE STORM RESPONSES AMONG THE YOUNG PEOPLE. HERE'S ROBERT WEBSTER ON THE SAME TOPIC, AND OLD AND REPEATED QUOTE, "It was so very fast. You felt sick in the morning, went to bed at lunchtime and were dead by the evening, with blood coming out of your ears and everywhere."
BINGO... THE BLOOD FRIGHTENED AWAY MARAUDERS. NOBODY WOULD COME CLOSE TO A HOME THAT HAD THE PANDEMIC VIRUS IN FULL BLOOM. STRIKING THE DOORPOSTS WITH A HISSOP, NOT A CEDAR, MUST HAVE GIVEN THE IMPRESSION THAT SOMEONE HAD GRABBED HOLD OF IT AND WAS BLEEDING PROFUSELY. B I N G O.]
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
[AND WHAT HERBS WERE AVAILABLE? CURCUMMIN? I'VE NO IDEA.]
9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden [cooked] at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the pertinence thereof.
[UNCOOKED, UNDERCOOKED MEAT IS DANGEROUS. IT WAS THEN TOO.]
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
[EAT THE MEAT THE SAME DAY; THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE MEAT STANDING OUT FOR ANY TIME.]
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.
[THEY WERE IN A HURRY TO GET THEIR PREPS. THE PANDEMIC HAD PROBABLY ALREADY STARTED. AND PEOPLE MAY HAVE BEEN STARVING AND DESPERATE, SO THEY ATE IT IN "HASTE."]
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.
[SKIP THE PASSOVER HOLIDAY EXPLANATION]
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
[I HAVE NO IDEA HOW LITERAL THIS IS. I'VE POSTED HERE AND EXPLAINED IT THIS WAY. THE JEWS WERE SLAVES; SO THEY HAD LITTLE CONTACT WITH TPTB, THE EGYPTIANS. THE EGYPTIANS INTERMINGLED AND BECAME INFECTED. THE PEOPLE STAYING IN THEIR HOMES, WITH LOTS OF FOOD, DIDN'T GO OUT; SO THEY WERE NEVER EXPOSED TO THE FLU.]
[HISSOP...
23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
[SNIP. MORE PASSOVER HOLIDAY DEMANDS]
29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
[ASSUME EACH FAMILY WAS SIX PEOPLE. THAT'S ONE IN SIX, DEAD. DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR? 1 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE SECOND AND THIRD WORLDS, AND A SMALLER RATIO IN FIRST WORLD SETTINGS WHERE THERE ARE ADEQUATE FOOD AND WATER AND WHEN REQUIRED, HCW-CARE.]
31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.
[SNIP]
And a follow on post:
Exodus
12:10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
[EAT THE MEAT THE SAME DAY; THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE MEAT STANDING OUT FOR ANY TIME.]
and
[THEY PROBABLY WANTED NOTHING DISCARDED OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE FOR THE DOGS; NO EVIDENCE OF FOOD WOULD MEAN NOBODY WOULD BE INCLINED TO BREAK IN IN SEARCH FOR FOOD.]
[AS WELL, HAVING NOTHING, SHOULD ANY OF TPTB ENTERED, MEANT THERE WAS NOTHING TO STEAL.]
Exodus
12-29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
[THE DISEASE AFFECTED MORE THAN HUMANS; IT WAS A CATTLE DISEASE. We are now seeing a wide range of mammalian hosts for H5N1. We have had no report of cattle, at least that I've seen.]
[I recall that there are hemmorhagic cattle diseases in Africa. Might that have jumped to humans, like Ebola or Marburg? It's clearly a hemmorhagic infection...I base this on the repeated emphasis to splash hissop leafed impressions of blood on the posts and lintel. I'm reminded of the OJ Simpson trial in which the fact that blood spurted everywhere, including enough to leave a bloody footprint of that extraordinarily expensive, special order shoe, made a ghoulish impression on me. How many then would have shuddered at what they saw at that front door and moved on to easier and less threatening pickings?]
Exodus
11:2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.
[DURING THE PANDEMIC, THEY WOULD NEED MONEY; SO THEY WERE TOLD TO GET BACK THEIR PROPERTY AS WELL AS BORROW FROM THEIR NEIGHBORS? i'VE NO IDEA WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT OTHER THAN IT WOULD PLACE MORE WEALTH IN THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE FLU CLINIC OF THEIR TIME, THE TEMPLES, I GUESS.]
Exodus
11: 1, 2, 3, 6. (see above)
The Jews had a 10 day notice that something big was coming down. They were told to wait 10 days, buy the sheep, keep it for 4 days, and then kill it and prepare it on the well done side (possibly to see if the animal was sick or not...SO DIG THIS... IT WAS A FOUR DAY ASYMPTOMATIC INCUBATION PERIOD, BETWEEN INFECTION AND DISEASE SYMPTOMS, AND THE SYMPTOMS ARE "A BLEMISH", HEMMORHAGIC APPEARANCE ON THE SKIN OR IN THE EYES (AS SHEEP HAD A WOOL COVERING). AGAIN, THIS IS A CYTOKINE STORM SYMPTOM, BLOOD IN THE EYES, OR LEAKING FROM THE EYES (AND NOSE AND MOUTH AND AND AND).
What I've always found curious is why the blood splatters on the door posts?
And the answer is now obvious!!
The young were experiencing cytokine storms. They were bleeding profusely within a day of infection. That flu strain was virulent and easily transmissible.
The same experience we expect here, they experienced nearly 2800 years ago. Everyone was scared. There was a desperate shortage of food. Marauding was commonplace. Moses knew this.
The game was simple. Find meat that was not tainted with disease (no easy task as it was specifically noted as required).
As people knew that the flu was causing these horrifically bloody responses, all of them were frightened at going near a clearly infected household; and rightfully so.
To keep the marauders at bay, especially the Egyptians who had superior power to take whatever they needed from the slave families, to keep them away from the people who had stocked up, the Jews used hissop branchs to splash blood on the doorposts. They used hissop, not cedar, probably because everyone at that time knew what the pattern of leaf markings would appear like if the cedar tree branch was used. I have not researched "hissop".
The Jews "won" by using their heads. They saw they could repel the more powerful away from their homes, much of what we now fear, home invasions. They just scared the people coming past who then moved on to easier targets.
For me, at least, this satisfies my long standing curiosity why the blood on the doorposts.
It's also a heads up to us. We can "defeat" the marauders without even having to confront them!!
So, the question is one for a Hollywood studio makeup artist, or set director. How to make one's place look not only uninviting but downright frightening.
Do you have any ideas on this? This is not general preps. This is specifically what in the way of completely frightening will move the worst characters along?
If this theory is correct, the purpose of the blood on the doorsteps would be to frighten away the marauders, the angels of death.
So, what marks would hissop leafs make? Lookie here! http://www.wildflowersofontario.ca/...ianthyssop.html
The look like bloody hand grips, as if someone dying tried to get out or got in. And if it's fresh blood, that would scare the whits out of any of us, if we were ignorant as to what whas happening.
Marauder mentality will prey on the weak. Not a good idea. Overwhelming fear, intense in in the moment, will work. If they feel out of control, they will run like heck. Many here have said direct confrontation works. That's wrong.
I think the Jews per Exodus showed the horror of death to the passersby.
We have just been "given" a gift. Angola and Marburg virus showed us how people frighten. There's zero difference between them and us. We have another playout of panic and hysteria. It will happen here too.
The most moderate of us, many here, are not the problem. The problem is and will be the ignorant who are in want. They showed their heads in NOLA. They will show themselves again.
The solution of kaching or whatever the sound of the shotgun has a 50/50 probability of working. It depends on what you're protecting.
Ruminate on this. "Be" them. Then you'll understand better. Post your fears, especially if you are frightened of dying by encountering anyone, except those on who you believe you must rely to survive.
Don't discount the logic of the Jews of yore. Their plan "worked". I have one in mind, but honestly, at this moment, I'm not sharing. To quote one of my guru's, "shock & awe".
This disease affects only "first borns". This is stated in the literature. (Though I do believe the plural of firstborn is firstborn, like sheep is sheep, and if wrong, then it must be biblical in my error. see below)
Let's look. And let's not look just one time; let's enjoy this as we do a cognac after a meal, with both heady aroma and greeting taste.
God must have been very confused here when he told the Jewish people that he would kill only the first bourne.
He said he would kill only the first borns. But instead, he was silly. Of course, the Pharoah was the first born too, but he, an adult, did not die. God must be confused. Firstborn must mean firstborn. And if the Pharoah was not, and he had an older sister, there's not a mention about her dying.
Maybe God was talking about the young people, the cytokine storm people, like a lot of the people in Indonesia now...but that's silly, right?
I will post more in a second post.
The applicable sentences are:
Exodus 11:5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
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.
Exodus 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
Exodus 12:30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Before looking more closely, there appears to be good news for the literalists here. Creationists are guaranteed that pandemic from H5N1 will be a relatively mild event, at least it will be more mild than the Tenth Plague. For those who believe in the Bible as the literal word of God, look here:
Exodus 11:6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
So, what's feared by the growing many is WRONG, as "nor shall be like it any more". We've been saved, long before the birth of Jesus. This news is for every living human, even if one is not a religionist. Everyone is included. We all received a free pass and God-Guaranty that the terror of that experience will never be returned on man or animal. God states very clearly here that this level of devastation will never reoccur. So, we know for sure that we will not experience death in every household. Not every firstborn will die should pandemic appear in a virulent form in the near, or for that matter, far term. Now is that a relief or is that a relief?!
The threshold question is whether the Bible is literal or if it appears to be a compilation of facts and moral interpretations of those facts, as well as myths. This is an open and shut matter, and deserves only enough time to point out that repeatedly now, the occurrence of events mentioned in the Bible have been documented, now nearly ad nauseum. The existence of a Temple in Jerusalem, indications of flooding, locations and artifacts all reveal and validate the existence of many of the civilizations and the very buildings refereneced in the Bible. So, we must objectively assume that there is some either factual or psychologicaly credibility, or at minimum, foundation, to the "tales" being told in the Bible.
You will read below a clear argument that the 10th Plague, death of the first born, was a disease that matches very closely what we here call bird flu.
It was a deadly disease which spread quickly and was in multiple mammals at the same time.
It transmitted in a way that was ascribed to God's Angel of Death as it transmitted without any then visible or explicable delivery method.
It led to bleeding, probably profuse bleeding.
It killed quickly.
It killed the young, not the first born (Moses and the Pharoah both survived).
The animals, including cattle and probably sheep, were infected.
The reaction by the Jews, especially Moses, was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, with the Jews "wandering" in the desert for 50 years, until Moses died; they stayed away from cities.
Blame was placed on the Jews by the Egyptians because they too had no other explanation for why so many young people died so quickly.
Law and Order broke down, it appears. Serious trouble politically occurred. In the chaos, the Jews who apparently saw this coming moved away.
There are some curiosities about borrowing gold and silver from neighbors, on which there is room for discussion.
Please feel free to amplify with your challenges and comments.
Enjoy,
Gaudia Ray
FIRST, THE RELEVANT QUOTES FROM EXODUS 11 & 12 (easily found on the internet)
10th Plague...pardon the pompous use of the English language. Just think about what they were doing; this is both an historical review and an instruction booklet:
EXODUS:
Chapter 11:
1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.
2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.
3 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.
4 And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
8 And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger
[snip]
CHAPTER 12
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
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 an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
[IN ESSENCE, PREPARE...PACK IN PREP'S.]
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:
[LOOK... THE ANIMALS WERE SICK; SO GOD SAID, PICK ANIMALS TO EAT THAT ARE NOT SICK. AND LOOK WHAT ANIMAL IT WAS, IT WAS MAMMALIAN. IT WAS SHEEP. A SHEEP DISEASE.
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.
[MAYBE THE RED BLOOD WAS TO FRIGHTEN MARAUDERS WHO SAW BLOOD AND BECAME SCARED. MAYBE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE INFECTED WERE VOMITING BLOOD. MAYBE THIS WAS NOT THE FLU BUT A HEMMORHAGIC FEVER THAT WAS GOING ON?
NO,GR, IT WAS THE FLU! THEY WERE EXPERIENCING CYTOKINE STORM RESPONSES AMONG THE YOUNG PEOPLE. HERE'S ROBERT WEBSTER ON THE SAME TOPIC, AND OLD AND REPEATED QUOTE, "It was so very fast. You felt sick in the morning, went to bed at lunchtime and were dead by the evening, with blood coming out of your ears and everywhere."
BINGO... THE BLOOD FRIGHTENED AWAY MARAUDERS. NOBODY WOULD COME CLOSE TO A HOME THAT HAD THE PANDEMIC VIRUS IN FULL BLOOM. STRIKING THE DOORPOSTS WITH A HISSOP, NOT A CEDAR, MUST HAVE GIVEN THE IMPRESSION THAT SOMEONE HAD GRABBED HOLD OF IT AND WAS BLEEDING PROFUSELY. B I N G O.]
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
[AND WHAT HERBS WERE AVAILABLE? CURCUMMIN? I'VE NO IDEA.]
9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden [cooked] at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the pertinence thereof.
[UNCOOKED, UNDERCOOKED MEAT IS DANGEROUS. IT WAS THEN TOO.]
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
[EAT THE MEAT THE SAME DAY; THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE MEAT STANDING OUT FOR ANY TIME.]
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.
[THEY WERE IN A HURRY TO GET THEIR PREPS. THE PANDEMIC HAD PROBABLY ALREADY STARTED. AND PEOPLE MAY HAVE BEEN STARVING AND DESPERATE, SO THEY ATE IT IN "HASTE."]
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.
[SKIP THE PASSOVER HOLIDAY EXPLANATION]
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
[I HAVE NO IDEA HOW LITERAL THIS IS. I'VE POSTED HERE AND EXPLAINED IT THIS WAY. THE JEWS WERE SLAVES; SO THEY HAD LITTLE CONTACT WITH TPTB, THE EGYPTIANS. THE EGYPTIANS INTERMINGLED AND BECAME INFECTED. THE PEOPLE STAYING IN THEIR HOMES, WITH LOTS OF FOOD, DIDN'T GO OUT; SO THEY WERE NEVER EXPOSED TO THE FLU.]
[HISSOP...
23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
[SNIP. MORE PASSOVER HOLIDAY DEMANDS]
29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
[ASSUME EACH FAMILY WAS SIX PEOPLE. THAT'S ONE IN SIX, DEAD. DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR? 1 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE SECOND AND THIRD WORLDS, AND A SMALLER RATIO IN FIRST WORLD SETTINGS WHERE THERE ARE ADEQUATE FOOD AND WATER AND WHEN REQUIRED, HCW-CARE.]
31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.
[SNIP]
And a follow on post:
Exodus
12:10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
[EAT THE MEAT THE SAME DAY; THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE MEAT STANDING OUT FOR ANY TIME.]
and
[THEY PROBABLY WANTED NOTHING DISCARDED OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE FOR THE DOGS; NO EVIDENCE OF FOOD WOULD MEAN NOBODY WOULD BE INCLINED TO BREAK IN IN SEARCH FOR FOOD.]
[AS WELL, HAVING NOTHING, SHOULD ANY OF TPTB ENTERED, MEANT THERE WAS NOTHING TO STEAL.]
Exodus
12-29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
[THE DISEASE AFFECTED MORE THAN HUMANS; IT WAS A CATTLE DISEASE. We are now seeing a wide range of mammalian hosts for H5N1. We have had no report of cattle, at least that I've seen.]
[I recall that there are hemmorhagic cattle diseases in Africa. Might that have jumped to humans, like Ebola or Marburg? It's clearly a hemmorhagic infection...I base this on the repeated emphasis to splash hissop leafed impressions of blood on the posts and lintel. I'm reminded of the OJ Simpson trial in which the fact that blood spurted everywhere, including enough to leave a bloody footprint of that extraordinarily expensive, special order shoe, made a ghoulish impression on me. How many then would have shuddered at what they saw at that front door and moved on to easier and less threatening pickings?]
Exodus
11:2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.
[DURING THE PANDEMIC, THEY WOULD NEED MONEY; SO THEY WERE TOLD TO GET BACK THEIR PROPERTY AS WELL AS BORROW FROM THEIR NEIGHBORS? i'VE NO IDEA WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT OTHER THAN IT WOULD PLACE MORE WEALTH IN THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE FLU CLINIC OF THEIR TIME, THE TEMPLES, I GUESS.]
Exodus
11: 1, 2, 3, 6. (see above)
The Jews had a 10 day notice that something big was coming down. They were told to wait 10 days, buy the sheep, keep it for 4 days, and then kill it and prepare it on the well done side (possibly to see if the animal was sick or not...SO DIG THIS... IT WAS A FOUR DAY ASYMPTOMATIC INCUBATION PERIOD, BETWEEN INFECTION AND DISEASE SYMPTOMS, AND THE SYMPTOMS ARE "A BLEMISH", HEMMORHAGIC APPEARANCE ON THE SKIN OR IN THE EYES (AS SHEEP HAD A WOOL COVERING). AGAIN, THIS IS A CYTOKINE STORM SYMPTOM, BLOOD IN THE EYES, OR LEAKING FROM THE EYES (AND NOSE AND MOUTH AND AND AND).
What I've always found curious is why the blood splatters on the door posts?
And the answer is now obvious!!
The young were experiencing cytokine storms. They were bleeding profusely within a day of infection. That flu strain was virulent and easily transmissible.
The same experience we expect here, they experienced nearly 2800 years ago. Everyone was scared. There was a desperate shortage of food. Marauding was commonplace. Moses knew this.
The game was simple. Find meat that was not tainted with disease (no easy task as it was specifically noted as required).
As people knew that the flu was causing these horrifically bloody responses, all of them were frightened at going near a clearly infected household; and rightfully so.
To keep the marauders at bay, especially the Egyptians who had superior power to take whatever they needed from the slave families, to keep them away from the people who had stocked up, the Jews used hissop branchs to splash blood on the doorposts. They used hissop, not cedar, probably because everyone at that time knew what the pattern of leaf markings would appear like if the cedar tree branch was used. I have not researched "hissop".
The Jews "won" by using their heads. They saw they could repel the more powerful away from their homes, much of what we now fear, home invasions. They just scared the people coming past who then moved on to easier targets.
For me, at least, this satisfies my long standing curiosity why the blood on the doorposts.
It's also a heads up to us. We can "defeat" the marauders without even having to confront them!!
So, the question is one for a Hollywood studio makeup artist, or set director. How to make one's place look not only uninviting but downright frightening.
Do you have any ideas on this? This is not general preps. This is specifically what in the way of completely frightening will move the worst characters along?
If this theory is correct, the purpose of the blood on the doorsteps would be to frighten away the marauders, the angels of death.
So, what marks would hissop leafs make? Lookie here! http://www.wildflowersofontario.ca/...ianthyssop.html
The look like bloody hand grips, as if someone dying tried to get out or got in. And if it's fresh blood, that would scare the whits out of any of us, if we were ignorant as to what whas happening.
Marauder mentality will prey on the weak. Not a good idea. Overwhelming fear, intense in in the moment, will work. If they feel out of control, they will run like heck. Many here have said direct confrontation works. That's wrong.
I think the Jews per Exodus showed the horror of death to the passersby.
We have just been "given" a gift. Angola and Marburg virus showed us how people frighten. There's zero difference between them and us. We have another playout of panic and hysteria. It will happen here too.
The most moderate of us, many here, are not the problem. The problem is and will be the ignorant who are in want. They showed their heads in NOLA. They will show themselves again.
The solution of kaching or whatever the sound of the shotgun has a 50/50 probability of working. It depends on what you're protecting.
Ruminate on this. "Be" them. Then you'll understand better. Post your fears, especially if you are frightened of dying by encountering anyone, except those on who you believe you must rely to survive.
Don't discount the logic of the Jews of yore. Their plan "worked". I have one in mind, but honestly, at this moment, I'm not sharing. To quote one of my guru's, "shock & awe".
This disease affects only "first borns". This is stated in the literature. (Though I do believe the plural of firstborn is firstborn, like sheep is sheep, and if wrong, then it must be biblical in my error. see below)
Let's look. And let's not look just one time; let's enjoy this as we do a cognac after a meal, with both heady aroma and greeting taste.
God must have been very confused here when he told the Jewish people that he would kill only the first bourne.
He said he would kill only the first borns. But instead, he was silly. Of course, the Pharoah was the first born too, but he, an adult, did not die. God must be confused. Firstborn must mean firstborn. And if the Pharoah was not, and he had an older sister, there's not a mention about her dying.
Maybe God was talking about the young people, the cytokine storm people, like a lot of the people in Indonesia now...but that's silly, right?
I will post more in a second post.
The applicable sentences are:
Exodus 11:5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
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.
Exodus 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
Exodus 12:30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Before looking more closely, there appears to be good news for the literalists here. Creationists are guaranteed that pandemic from H5N1 will be a relatively mild event, at least it will be more mild than the Tenth Plague. For those who believe in the Bible as the literal word of God, look here:
Exodus 11:6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
So, what's feared by the growing many is WRONG, as "nor shall be like it any more". We've been saved, long before the birth of Jesus. This news is for every living human, even if one is not a religionist. Everyone is included. We all received a free pass and God-Guaranty that the terror of that experience will never be returned on man or animal. God states very clearly here that this level of devastation will never reoccur. So, we know for sure that we will not experience death in every household. Not every firstborn will die should pandemic appear in a virulent form in the near, or for that matter, far term. Now is that a relief or is that a relief?!
The threshold question is whether the Bible is literal or if it appears to be a compilation of facts and moral interpretations of those facts, as well as myths. This is an open and shut matter, and deserves only enough time to point out that repeatedly now, the occurrence of events mentioned in the Bible have been documented, now nearly ad nauseum. The existence of a Temple in Jerusalem, indications of flooding, locations and artifacts all reveal and validate the existence of many of the civilizations and the very buildings refereneced in the Bible. So, we must objectively assume that there is some either factual or psychologicaly credibility, or at minimum, foundation, to the "tales" being told in the Bible.
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