___________________________________________________ EXODUS INTRODUCTION: Exodus 5 • Anytime you see Egypt in the Bible, it’s symbolic of the world system • Now for those of you who don’t know what the world system is... • I googled it for you so now I’m an expert! • Everyone knows google knows everything about everything and everything you read on google is true! So now I’m an expert! • According to Immanuel Wallerstein, in the book World System History, a world system is the social reality in which we operate and the social system whose rules constrain us... it’s a system under law • He further elaborates in his book The Modern World System that a social system includes boundaries, structures, member groups, rules or laws of legitimation and coherence • A world system includes the rules or laws of a society, the bureaucratic structures, division of labor, national economies and the political centers that govern them Paul in the iconic passage on spiritual warfare says... Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. • Principalities is the Gr. word “arche” which refers to the “archangels” that exercise authority over the world systems which include governments, religions and economies • Michael is the archangel assigned to Israel and what we are seeing in the Middle East is a spiritual battle between Michael and the other archangels over the world systems in the region. • Powers is the Gr. Word “exousia” and it refers to “legal authority” and this warfare happens through the legal system of a sovereign nation • The correct definition of sovereign is the power to make and enforce law • Thus what we are seeing in America is a power struggle between the Kingdom of God and the World System • Rulers is the Gr. Word “kosmokratoras” and it refers to national leaders who are under the influence of the World System • We see this with Isis, Hamas, Russia, Korea, China and Europe • Spiritual hosts of wickedness refer to fallen angels assigned to tempt people towards wickedness using evil desires THE WORLD SYSTEM © 2020 Holland Davis ___________________________________________________ EXODUS • This is the power structure behind the World System • The world system tells you how to act, how to be successful, how to fit in and who has the power to make and enforce law In the days of Adam, Noah and Moses... the world system was global • But in our modern society, we have several world systems with multi- state political structures • America and the westernized nations are a world system... Russia is a world system... China, the nations under Islam and third world countries individually have independent world systems • The Bible teaches that all world systems are spiritually dominated by principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this age • AND all world systems are temporal... they are of this world and will end when God sets up His literal Kingdom on earth All world systems are based on the government of man without God • Even in America where the pledge of allegiance states that we are one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all • Yet our Declaration of Independence states that the power of government is derived from the consent of the governed or in Abraham Lincolns terms... government of the people by the people • It is not God who governs, but the people govern themselves • Thus as great as America is... it is still a world system that is not governed by God... we are a democratic republic not a theocracy THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORLD SYSTEM • The first world system developed under Cain in Genesis 4 • In Genesis 4, Satan infiltrates Adam’s family through Cain and Cain murders Abel • But remember, man has a FREE WILL, the power to CHOOSE • Before Cain murders Abel, God offers Cain a way out Genesis 4:6–7 (NKJV) 6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” THE WORLD SYSTEM © 2020 Holland Davis ___________________________________________________ EXODUS • Notice, vs. 7 the issue is will the desire for sin rule over Cain or will Cain rule over the desire for sin? Young’s Literal Translation says it like this... vs. 7 Genesis 4:7 (YLT) 7Is there not, if thou dost well, acceptance? and if thou dost not well, at the opening a sin-offering is crouching, and unto thee its desire, and thou rulest over it.’ • Cain you have a choice there is a sin offering at the door for you • Keep this image in mind when we get to the Passover and God tells Israel to put the blood of the Lamb on the doorposts... remember, everything in scripture ties together • In Genesis 4, God provided Himself a sin offering for Cain, but Cain didn’t take it • Instead he offered his body to Satan to be used as an instrument of evil • This is why Paul says in Romans 6:13... do not present the parts of your body to sin as an instrument of unrighteousness • Cain presented himself to become an instrument of unrighteousness and by doing so, Satan uses Cain to set up the first godless society, the world system that is against God • Satan begins to dominate the world through man • This is why John says... do not love the world or anything in the world for the Father is not in them (1 John 2:15) • John is speaking of the world system After the flood... the world system continues through Noah’s son Ham • The grandson of Ham is Nimrod, the founder of Babel Nineveh • Nimrod was known to be a cruel and powerful person • In fact, Nimrod’s name means “let us be rebellious” or “let us revolt” • Now, as part of the curse, God told Noah in Genesis 9:2, the animals would attack mankind and Nimrod gained a name for himself as a mighty hunter before the Lord • He was one who deliberately hunted and slaughtered animals and the people saw him as a hero, a defender of mankind • But the term “before the Lord” is better translated “against the Lord” THE WORLD SYSTEM © 2020 Holland Davis ___________________________________________________ EXODUS • Thus, Nimrod used his natural skill and charisma to build a strong centralized society, a self-sufficient civilization to dominate and control the world through a network of cities on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers • Here’s the key... this “world system” was not governed by God... it was governed by a man, a strong charismatic political leader Nimrod also invented the first false religion • Nimrod’s wife was Semiramis and she influenced Nimrod to worship the moon god, which was the local deity of the village she was born in • Today the moon god is known as Allah • Nimrod referred to her as the Queen of Heaven and Nimrod deified himself as the sun God or the Lord of heaven • They had a son named Damu or Dammuzi which is translated Tammuz in Hebrew who becomes the reincarnation of Nimrod after his death • This false religion worshipped the “heavenly hosts” or the fallen angels resulting in the direct worship of Satan and ritual demonic possession • Through this organized society, this world system, Nimrod sought to build a tower to be used as a link between heaven and earth, between fallen angels and man in order to corrupt mankind • The culmination of this world system was the Tower of Babel which God judged by confusing the languages of man and establishing the nations of the world... all governed by individual world systems • This is the state of the world today • It’s after the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 that God establishes His Kingdom through Abraham • From this point forward you have two opposing Kingdoms... the Kingdom of God and the World System dominated by Satan who is referred to as the god of this world • The World System is visible, the Kingdom of God is invisible • BUT the Kingdom of God is made visible through God’s people • When we come to Exodus 5 where Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh • We have a picture of the Kingdom of God confronting the World System In Exodus 5 we see the characteristics of the world system Exodus 5:1–9 (NKJV) 5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” 2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.” THE WORLD SYSTEM © 2020 Holland Davis ___________________________________________________ EXODUS 3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!” 6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before.