God, in His divine wisdom through His Word, has made it possible for us to know and understand where He desires us to walk. Every city and nation in His Word has a meaning. Jerusalem represents our true place of worship in God. Egypt represents the world that we have not dealt with in our lives. Many times in the Word, it speaks of "going down into Egypt" (the world). Any time we leave Jerusalem, the true place of worship, we always "go down". That road is an easy road and leads directly by the sea to the opening of the Nile delta and directly down into Egypt. Upon observing the delta of the Nile, it looks like a funnel. The Nile, which leads down through Egypt, becomes very narrow, much as the narrow tube of a funnel. When we enter into that funnel to Egypt, all we need to do is go with the flow. Looking at the Nile River delta region spiritually, it is the exact opposite of God's set order. When we enter into the delta, we find rich agricultural land with lush valleys of growth. But as we proceed on our downward course into Egypt, we find it leads to a place of total desert and desolation. God's ways are exact opposite from this. In our walk with God, we start out in a place of desolation (without God). From this place of desolation we begin our upward climb to the lush green valleys where He maketh us to lie down by the still waters. A further study into the cities which descend into the Nile River valley, gives us more insight into the places God's people have settled. There are 9 major cities spoken of in the Word that border the 2900 miles of the Nile to the first cataract. These cities are "way-markers" as we slip down the funnel to destruction. SIN Upon entering the Nile delta, the first Egyptian city you must pass through is Sin, or Pelusium. It lays but 3 miles from the sea. Ezekiel declared: "And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt." *** Ezekiel 30:15 Ezekiel calls the Egyptian city of Sin "the strength", fortress or bulwark of Egypt. Sin means "thorn, clay or mire", so called from the abundance of clay found there. What an ironic name for the strength of Egypt. Clay represents the flesh in our walk with God. As the journey down the Nile begins, we, as Adam and Eve in the garden, get our eyes on the flesh. Sin soon becomes the thorn in our side. Sin loses no time in sinking us into the mire, mud and muck of the world (Egypt). ZOAN The next city on the road to desolation is Zoan. Zoan was the northern capital of Pharaoh in the time of Israel's captivity to Egypt. It was the frontier town of Goshen, and was the scene of the miracles wrought at the hand of Moses and Aaron which eventually brought deliverance from the hand of Pharaoh to free Israel from Egypt. Isaiah relates: "Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?" *** Isaiah 9:11 Zoan is the place of man's wisdom. When we leave the place of true worship, we enter into the place where we depend on the flesh (sin). "The princes of Zoan are become fools...; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof." *** Isa. 19:13 This important royal store-city was built by Hebrew slave labor. At first, the land of Goshen was a protected place for God's people. But many of God's people soon found that Zoan became a place of servitude. Many great kings of the world oppressed them greatly in the land of Goshen. Rameses built a granite colossus of himself...92 feet high...the highest and largest ever known to have been made of an individual. These kings were intent upon building colossal statues of themselves. Many kings today hold God's people under great servitude. God's people serve only one purpose, to build their kingdoms. TAHPANHES "The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Tahpanhes..." *** Jeremiah 44:1 The next city one descends to in the Egyptian river delta is Tahpanhes. It was an important city in the time of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The Jews from Jerusalem fled to this place after the death of Gedaliah and settled there for a time. Tahpanhes, in the land of Goshen, is where the children of Israel further became slaves to build Rameses treasure cities. When Sin and the mud of the world get on you, you slip from Zoan, and slide directly to Tahpanhes, the place of servitude, slavery and oppression. The mud, mire and muck of the world wax worse and worse. PI-BESETH Once we fall into the slavery of the world, our downward trek into Egypt becomes even more apparent. The next city we enter into is Pi-beseth. Pi-beseth means "mouth of loathing". When one slips this far "down the tube", the mouth of the river becomes a place of great loathing. Not only do the people loathe themselves, they especially loathe the things of God and His people. Ezekiel addressed the young men of Pi-beseth: "The young men of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity." *** Ezekiel 30:17 The young men of Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and the population of the city will go into captivity. These will become captive to man's system; not to government only, but to the man- made church systems where the precepts and doctrines are taught as the Word of God, *** Matthew 15:9. Young men, how far into Pharaoh's land will you go before the Spirit of Truth reveals that when the Spirit sets you free, you are free indeed? *** John 8:36 MIGDOL The next city on the downward path towards the narrow tube of the funnel is Migdol. Migdol means "a tower". Migdol continues to narrow our vision and hinder our walk. The inhabitants of Migdol are watching for your entry into this city of destruction. Migdol is where some of the Jews fled when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. Jeremiah related: "Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol...: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee." *** Jeremiah 46:14 The sword will devour those who go down into Egypt and put their trust in the Egyptians. God has called His people to "come out of Egypt and be not partakers of their sin." The question becomes, "Young men, how far into Pharaoh's land have you slipped?" AVEN "The young men of Aven shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity." *** Ezekiel 30:17 Aven means "wealth and wickedness" and also "to pant, to exert oneself, usually in vain". Aven is located in the lower part of Egypt and borders the land of Goshen. Upon leaving the land of Goshen one enters ever-narrowing areas of snares and entrapments in the world (Egypt). Throughout history Aven has been known by different names. One of the popular names of Aven was "On" or "Bethshemesh". Aven was also known as Heliopolis. Jeremiah prophesied: "He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, (On), that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire." *** Jeremiah 43:13 Many prophecies were given concerning these cities. Heliopolis was from time immemorial one of the principal seats of the Egyptian worship of the sun god, Re. These temples were "obelisks". An obelisk temple is a tall four-sided pillar tapering as it rises, and terminating in a small pyramid. There were three known obelisks. Only one remains in Egypt. The other two were moved. One sits on the Thames River in London, England. The other is in Central Park in New York City. How far have we gone into Pharaoh's land? How many obelisks does the world continue to erect? God says He will break the images of Bethshemesh. God will destroy them all. God's Word and His judgment are sure. We need to repent of our activity in Egypt. PATHROS "The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell in the country of Pathros..." *** Jeremiah 44:1 The next city on the fall away from Jerusalem, the true place of worship, is Pathros. Looking at a map of the Nile, we discover this is where the funnel begins to get smaller. At this point, the downward decline quickly begins to "go down the tube". The prophet, Jeremiah, warned against "going down into Egypt". "The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn." *** Jeremiah 42:19 & 22 Pathros means "a moistened morsel". A moistened morsel is an allurement to draw people away from the true God. So many will not receive the true meat of the Word. They speak out for a "watered- down morsel", a false religion that is easier for them to digest. After the Babylonian captivity, many of the Jews who were left in Israel fled to Pathros. When Jeremiah told them what God has said about going down into Egypt, the answer they gave Jeremiah was the same answer of those today who have fallen from the grace of God and have turned to "religions". "Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil." *** Jeremiah 44:15-17 When people get to this place in their downward slide, they boldly declare, "We will not hearken (hear) what the Lord is speaking to us. We will do whatsoever goeth forth out of our own mouth." Many have turned to the "Queen of heaven" and have forsaken the Father and His voice. They listen, rather, to the mother's voice (religion). From this point on, the trip downward, one's ever-narrowing, backsliding steps become very confining, hemmed in on all sides by the world and worldly religions, proclaiming, "We will see no evil." Peter spoke of these when he stated, "For this they willingly are ignorant of that by the Word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water; whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." *** II Peter 3:5-6 These become willingly ignorant. They are not literally ignorant, but willingly ignorant. These desire to be ignorant of the fact that God's judgment will again come upon the whole earth. The world-wide flood is a matter of history that is recorded on every continent. Yet, those who have fallen from God's grace deny the coming wrath. These truly are dwelling in Pathros, and have accepted false doctrines and religions. MEMPHIS "For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles." *** Hosea 9:6 How far will you go into Pharaoh's land? Further down into this land of desolation, one comes to Memphis. Memphis means "haven of the good". Again, Egypt, the world, is the opposite of God's ways. What was the allurement of the city of Memphis, haven of the good? Has the allurement of the good life and those idols we cannot be without deceived us to descend into Memphis? Memphis was also known as Noph. Many of the prophets prophesied of Noph (Memphis). Jeremiah asks the question: "Is Israel a servant? Is he a homeborn slave? Why is he spoiled? The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant. Also the children of Noph (Memphis) and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head. Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way? And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor?..." *** Jeremiah 2:14-15 All who go down to Egypt become slaves to the world and to sin. Jeremiah proclaimed, "The children of Memphis have broken the crown of thy head", or have destroyed the glory of the anointing. Once this destruction is accomplished, the children of Memphis can proclaim that those who have gone this way have forsaken the way of the Lord. Memphis worshipped many idols. One was Ptah. According to Egyptian belief, Ptah was the "Mind of the Universe" who created all gods and men by thinking them into existence. He was especially revered by artists, skilled craftsmen, and the men of letters. Gaining understanding of the idol, Ptah, it is easy to see where the Big-Bang Theory of the Evolutionists came from. A universal mind above all creation. How close to the truth. Yet so perverted in its reality. The second idol of Memphis was Apis, the sacred bull. For Apis, the Sacred Bull, a magnificent temple was constructed which was known as the "Cathedral" of Egypt. These two great temples, that of Ptah and Apis, were united by a long avenue of sphinxes. "...the young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste." *** Jeremiah 2:14 Memphis was destroyed because of their idol worship. God told Israel when they set up idols in the land of Israel that He would destroy them. When Jeroboam came to power, he made two golden calves. These were fashioned after Apis. Israel was informed by Jeroboam that these were the gods that they had brought out of Egypt. One was set in Dan, the other in Ephraim. When the twelve tribes were listed in Revelation 7, both Dan and Ephraim were omitted. God no longer recognized them as tribes because of these idols setting in their land. Hosea prophesied, "For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles." *** Hosea 9:6 Memphis was a place of the dead. When Memphis was excavated, they found what is believed to be the world's largest cemetery. This cemetery was 2 miles wide and 60 miles long. They believe that 40-50 million animals, men, women and Pharaohs are buried there. This is the location of seventy pyramids. The prophet Hosea exclaimed, "Memphis shall bury them!" *** Hosea 9:16. Certainly they have buried on a scale that is unprecedented anywhere in the world. Those who have descended this far down into Egypt truly have fallen from false religion to idol worship, making the mind and the world their gods. What they cannot understand with the mind and see with the eye, they refuse to believe. They become part of the dead that will be added to this cemetery of Memphis. These have entered into what they believe is their "haven of good" which will become their tomb of unbelief. Destruction came upon Memphis because of its idols. How many of their idols have we put before God in our cities? How far have we gone into Pharaoh's land? Have God's people settled as far as Memphis? How far have we fallen? NO "Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?" *** Nahum 3:8 Our last stop, the final resting place for those who go all the way into Egypt, the world, is No. No means "disrupting and frustrating". Those who have gone the total distance away from God come to this disrupting, frustrating place in life. Jeremiah prophesied against those who have gone into No. "The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him." *** Jeremiah 46:25 There is a multitude who have gone into No who are proclaiming they are in God's will and in His stead. Yet, their judgment will come because they have put their trust in Pharaoh, and there is no separation from Egypt. These have forsaken God's grace at the mouth of the delta, and without looking back, shunning all conviction, have missed every way-mark. These are so far down into Egypt they give God no choice but rejection, and He turns them over to a "reprobate mind", a mind rejected of God, whose conscience is seared, who dispute the Word of God and live their lives in total frustration. Will you be one who dwells in No, proclaiming "No God!" Only a fool says, "No God!" *** Psalm 14:1 ASAPH As we discover God's wonderful truths He has hidden in His wonderful Word, we can relate these truths to many in the Word who were given us as examples. We can consider their walk and relate it to our walk, that we need not make the same mistakes our forefathers made. Asaph was an example of coming out of Egypt. Asaph wrote the 73rd Psalm and in this Psalm he relates his problems with fear, doubt and unbelief which we all have witnessed in our walk. Although Asaph had slipped and "gone down into Egypt", he shares his "upward trek" out of the land of Egypt. Asaph begins, "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped." *** Psalms 73:1-2 When Asaph slipped, the road to the delta of Egypt was very easy. His long trek downward began at the Egyptian city of Sin and progressively proceeded downward to the wide mouth of the delta. Sin had placed its strong bands around Asaph's life. "For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm." *** Psalm 73:4 Asaph cried out in despair: "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction." *** Psalm 73:18 Asaph's foot had well-nigh slipped and he was headed toward's the Egyptian city of Zoan. At Zoan, Asaph slipped into listening to man's counsel. "Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?" *** Isaiah 9:11 The words of man can become bands. Their strength becomes a firm stronghold upon us if we continue on down into Pharaoh's land. As Asaph continued to fall, he reached Tahpanhes. "Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses." *** Exodus 1:11 Because Asaph allowed his feet to slip to Tahpanhes, he was put into bondage of hard "taskmasters" to build Pharaoh's treasure cities. The freedom at the mouth of the delta was beginning to draw Asaph "down the tube". No longer was Asaph enjoying "Sin" for a season. Zoan's counselors had led Asaph to a life of bondage and hard labour in Tahpanhes. Upon arriving at Pi-beseth, Asaph began to loathe the mouth of the river. Asaph began to cry out under the oppression, "My flesh and my heart faileth: But God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." *** Psalm 73:26 In the cites of Aven and Pi-beseth, Asaph began to recognize his need for the "Arm" of the Lord to free him from the clutches of the young men. Asaph begin to see his need for the Lord to cut off the "arm" of their strength and put them into captivity. At Migdol, Asaph's spirit was vexed sore by the wealth of wickedness he saw abounding there. "Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches." *** Psalm 73:12 "When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me." *** Psalm 73:16 The mouth of the river and its downward force was drawing Asaph "down the tube". He was slipping very quickly now past the wide expanse of the delta into the ever-narrowing tube of the river. Asaph had gotten his eyes on the wealth of the world. The country of Pathros, the city of desolation, was now clearly before his every wakening moment. "How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment: they are utterly consumed with terrors." *** Psalm 73:19 Gaining momentum, Asaph quickly slipped downward to the Egyptian city of Noph, the city of distress and consuming terrors. Asaph cried out: "Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins." *** Ps. 73:21 Asaph was tortured daily. Noph became the place of daily grief to Asaph. His thoughts pricked him. Conviction came upon Asaph. Asaph began to cry out to God: But it is good for me to draw near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works." *** Psalm 73:28 At this point, Asaph took a "good, stronghold" of the arm of God. He drew near to God and took hold of His "outstretched hand" and God began to guide him up into the path that would lead out of Egypt (the world). Asaph cried out to God because of the oppression of Noph. Noph no longer was the place Asaph desired to be. He ceased to view its idols and began to "look up" for his redemption was drawing nigh. Asaph's feet had well-nigh slipped to the Egyptian city of No. At Asaph's point of repentance, the Egyptian city of No no longer was a hindrance to him. No was rent asunder in Asaph's life. He refused to slip into declaring "No God!" Asaph began the long upward trek back to Jerusalem, the true place of worship. Asaph began to keep the world and its allurements at an "arm's length". Asaph's "backsliding" ceased and he finally leaned on the strong arm of the Lord as his only hope of salvation. When Asaph did this, the "arm" of Pharaoh was cut off by the sword of the Spirit. No matter how far we slip, slide or fall into the mud, mire and muck of the world, if we will cry out to God, He will hear and reach His mighty hand toward us and lift us up and out. Asaph had to reach up to God in faith. Asaph became as Moses. "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter." *** Hebrews 11:24 Asaph, too, had to refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh. Asaph began to desire to become a son of God. He begins, with the strong help of the Lord, to rise up and walk, up and out of the strongholds of the Egyptian "treasure cities". Asaph began to question man's counsel in Zoan and to seek after God's counsel. He no longer shook hands with the world. He learned to discern that the young men in Aven and Pi-beseth were not his friends. He bound them in chains and cast them out of his sight, keeping them in captivity. "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." *** Psalm 73:24 Asaph, as Moses, was, "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." *** Hebrews 11:25-26 Asaph chose no longer to enjoy the pleasures of the Egyptian city of "Sin". With God's strong arm, Asaph was able to climb up and out of "Sin's" clutches. Asaph, as Moses, forsook the allurement of Egypt, "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible." Hebrews 11:27 Asaph forsook the world and began to endure the path all of God's people must endure. Asaph began to know the truth, that suffering affliction with the people of God was far better than enjoying the pleasures of "Sin" for a season. Asaph began to esteem "reproaches" instead of the alluring riches and prosperity of the world. Asaph began to see the invisible, the true spiritual treasure city. Asaph, as Moses, passed through his Red Sea experience. "By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned." *** Hebrews 11:29 By faith, Asaph walked through the Red Sea. The old man was washed away, no longer "turning back", but pressing only forward toward the mark of the upward, high-calling of God in Christ Jesus. *** Philippians 3:14 How far have you gone into Pharaoh's land? Will you serve in his fields, build his treasure cities of mortar and brick? Will you come under the rigorous whip, searching for any straw and stubble in the depths and darkness of deepest Egypt? Cry out, ye daughters of Zion! Do not remain stiff-necked, silently enduring, voluntarily submitting to more and more bondage and affliction. Will you be one to cry out, as Moses and Asaph? "Let us go three days into the wilderness to worship our God. Let us take our wives, our children and our sustenance that we may worship our God." Or are you willing to be servants to Pharaoh and his oppressive government and his man-made religion? Or will you, as Asaph, seek the arm of God and the sword of the Spirit, and be set free as Jesus promised in His wonderful Word: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." *** John 8:36 Questions 1. How does God make it possible for us to know and understand where He desires us to walk? 2. What does every city and nation in God's Word have attached to it? 3. What does Jerusalem represent? 4. Anytime we leave Jerusalem, which direction do we go? 5. What does a study of the cities which descend into the Nile River Valley give us more insight into? 6. What is the meaning of the name "Sin" which is the first Egyptian city you pass through upon entering the Nile Delta? 7. What is Zoan the place of? 8. What does Pi-beseth mean? 9. Migdol is the place where our vision continues to be ________________ and our walk ___________. 10. What is the meaning of Aven? 11. What is an obelisk temple? 12. Pathros means "a moistened morsel" or watered down morsel" which depicts what? 13. What vice was Memphis noted for, causing it to be destroyed? 14. What city is the final resting place, or stop, for those who go all the way into Egypt? 15. There are a multitude who have gone into No proclaiming what? 16. Those who have forsaken God's grace, shunned all conviction and have gone down into Egypt have been ______________of God and He turns them over to a ______________ mind. 17. What was Asaph an example of? 18. No matter how far we slip, slide or fall into the mud, mire and muck of the world, if we cry out, what will God do? 19. What did Asaph learn was far better than enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season? 20. If we, like Asaph, seek the arm of God and the sword of the Spirit, what will happen? John 8:36 Answer Key 1. Q. How does God make it possible for us to know and understand where He desires us to walk? A. Through His Word 2. Q. What does every city and nation in God's Word have attached to it? A. A special meaning 3. Q. What does Jerusalem represent? A. Our true place of worship in God 4. Q. Anytime we leave in Jerusalem, which direction do we go? A. Down 5. Q. What does a study of the cities which descend into the Nile River Valley give us more insight into? A. The places God's people have settled 6. Q. What is the meaning of the name Sin which is the first Egyptian city you pass through upon entering the Nile Delta? A. Thorn, clay, more 7. Q. What is Zoan the place of? A. Man's wisdom 8. Q. What does Pi-beseth mean? A. Mouth of loathing 9. Q. Migdol is the place where our vision continues to be _________________ and our walk _____________. A. Narrowed, hindered 10. Q. What is the meaning of Aven? A. Wealth and wickedness, and to pant, to exert oneself, usually in vain 11. Q. What is an obelisk temple? A. A tall, four sided pillar, tapering as it rises and terminates in a small pyramid 12. Q. Pathros means a moistened morsel or watered down morsel which depicts what? A. A false religion 13. Q. What vice was Memphis noted for, causing it to be destroyed? A. Worshiping idols 14. Q. What city is the final resting place or stop for those who go all the way into Egypt? A. No 15. Q. There are a multitude who have gone into No proclaiming what? A. That they are in God's will and in His stead 16. Q. Those who have forsaken God's grace, shunned all conviction and have gone down into Egypt have been of God and He turns them over to a _______________ and ____________ mind. A. Rejected, reprobate 17. Q. What was Asaph an example of? A. Coming out of Egypt 18. Q. No matter how far we slip, slide or fall in the mud, more and muck of the world, if we cry out, what will God do? A. He will hear and reach His mighty hand toward us and lift us up and out 19. Q. What did Asaph learn was far better than enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season? A. Suffering affliction with the people of God 20. Q. If we, like Asaph, seek the arm of God and the sword of the Spirit, what will happen? John 8:36 A. We will be set free just as Jesus promised in His Wonderful Word
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