Pharaoh’s Dream Part 5, 7/25/04

Last time and we’ve been studying this for several weeks now last time we saw how corn is representing the Gospel and let’s go to a verse that clearly shows that in 1 Timothy 5:17-18:

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

So the word and doctrine is likened to the ox that treadeth out the corn. God is likening the Word of God the Gospel to the corn and as we have looked at this historical situation in the land of Egypt where there were seven years of plenty that came upon the land and followed by the seven years of dearth or famine we’ve seen that the plenty has to do the seven years of plenty has to do with the New Testament church age with the entire period from the Cross until the end of the church age which occurs once Satan is loosed and the great tribulation begins. And so the corn that was harvested during this period of time it was a tremendous harvest a plenteous harvest. The corn that is stored away a fifth part of all the crops over seven years of time for seven years that crop was harvested and one fifth of the corn one fifth of the crop was stored away in storehouses in various cities, that corn is typifying and representing the Gospel. It couldn’t be the harvest of souls that wouldn’t be possible God does speak of harvesting souls but you can’t harvest a great number of souls during the church age over nineteen hundred years and then take some of those souls and store them away against the time of great tribulation. You can’t do that but you can harvest the Gospel or you can speak of the Gospel as a harvest and you can put away some of the truth of the Word of God put away some of the Gospel meaning some of the information that God has not opened up or revealed against the time of great tribulation and so that’s what God has done here and remember last time we went to Daniel 12:4 and there it says:

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Were all the Words of God shut up? Was the whole Gospel message shut up until the time of the end? No, no God had revealed many things in the days of the Apostle Paul. He had revealed the fact that the Gentiles would come in and that was a mystery revealed to Paul and many of the scriptures of the Old Testament that pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ opened wide up they had abundance of revelations that’s what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12 due to the abundance of revelations God gave me a thorn in the flesh lest I should be exalted above measure, lest he should get a big head. You see God opened up a great and plenteous harvest during the church age there was plenty of corn there was plenty of spiritual food and when Daniel said or when God tells Daniel shut up the words and seal the book till the time of the end He’s not talking about every truth in the Bible He’s talking about specific truths that deal with end time events. Shut up the words regarding the visions that I have given you concerning the abomination of desolation, concerning Satan’s loosing during the end season and the overcoming of the church shut them up. You see that’s the grain that’s the corn that’s being stored away that’s being placed out of the hands of those that will live and that will reign with Christ really during the New Testament church age that’s put away against the time of dearth and you know it would help us this word shut up the word shut up we get a Biblical illustration of what God is talking about back in the book of Genesis in chapter 26 we find that word shut up. In verse 15 I’ll start reading there of Genesis 26:

For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, …

They stopped the wells that’s the word shut up. You see you have Abraham dug some wells and in the wells you would have some water the Philistines came along and they stopped them up. Let’s keep reading:

And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

So Abraham dug some wells and there was plenty of water in these wells. The Philistines after the days of Abraham stopped them up they filled them with earth they filled them with dirt and rocks and let’s picture let’s picture a traveler coming along and in the distance he sees the well he would still see the well from above ground and he comes expecting to find some water because he sees the well but when he gets to the well the well is stopped up all there is, is dirt he could dig a little bit but it would be just more dirt and finally he concludes there’s nothing here but dirt there’s no water here. See the Philistines had stopped them just like God shut up the words and remember the Word of God is likened to water the Word of God is likened to water. God in a way stopped the water He shut it up just like that well was shut up. Now did it mean when a sojourner came by that well because that well was stopped up did it mean there was no water in the well? It didn’t mean that at all there was water down in the well the water was there the whole time they could have been stopped up for many years many decades and any traveler coming by would conclude there’s no water in the well and yet there was the whole time and God shut up the words and He sealed the book till the time of the end so anybody during the church age at the time of the reformation or any period of time of that church age era would come to Daniel or they would come to Revelation or they come to Ezekiel and they would study these passages dealing with end time events and they would not be able to come to truth they would not be able to find out the truth of the Word of God because the words were shut up against the time of the end indicating and implying at the time of the end God’s going to open them up He’s going to unseal them just like Isaac dug again the well he dug again the well and there was the water and God opens up His Word against the time of the end and low and behold there’s the truth that was there the whole time. Turn to Mark 13:11. Mark 13 is a chapter dealing with the time of great tribulation the end of the world. Verse 11 says:

But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

That is an astounding verse that’s an amazing verse that’s incredible that God has given us this verse. He’s says first of all that take no thought beforehand what you will speak do not premeditate that’s contrary to a lot of things we read in the Bible. Study to show yourself approved, be always ready to give an answer to anyone who would ask for the hope that is within you. God says do not premeditate do not think about what you’re going to say beforehand before that hour. What’s that hour? What is that hour remember Revelation 17 and 18 speaks of the hour of judgment, the hour of judgment is the hour of great tribulation the hour when the church comes under the judgment of God and do not premeditate what you will speak in that hour. You see God is basically saying don’t bother studying it don’t bother trying to figure these things out don’t bother coming up with end time scenarios when you’re living in the year 1000AD, 1500AD. And what happened when they did? Well they come up with Premil and Postmil and Amil and all kinds of scenarios all types of different ideas about the end and nobody could say that theirs was well they did but really every scenario had basic truths in it but none of them not one of them got it all right not one not one theologian was able to rightly conclude what God’s plan was at the end of the world during the great tribulation and so God says do not premeditate do not think about what you will say during that hour of judgment but it will be given you. Let me read it again:

… but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, …

When we get to the hour of judgment when we get to the time of great tribulation God will give you believers He’s speaking to all of us, what to say. And what is it we’ll say? We’ll speak the Word of God He’ll give us the truths of His Word He will open up the scriptures and He will make us to understand He will cause us to understand what it is that we should know in this hour just like that word it’s been sealed up till the time of the end the time of the end it’s unsealed. Now we have the word now He’s giving it to us in this hour just like the corn just like the corn the corn is stored away nobody could touch the corn nobody was allowed to touch the corn during the seven years of plenty not that fifth part that fifth part was against the time of famine against the dearth but during the seven years of plenty it was not permissible for anyone to go to the storehouse and partake of that corn and God is telling us and by the way keep in mind Acts 7:11 explains that that seven year famine is the great tribulation what we’re reading about in these days of Joseph it’s a picture of the great tribulation and let’s look at verses 48 and 49 of Genesis 41, well I’ll begin in verse 47:

And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: …

And we know that it’s speaking of the fifth part and by the way fifth has to do with the number five and the number five is if it has a spiritual meaning it’s grace and judgment, grace and judgment and that’s the Gospel that’s the Gospel a fifth part is put away the Gospel is put away it will relate to grace and God’s judgment:

And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.

Isn’t that interesting isn’t that interesting that the amount of corn that Joseph gathers is as the sand of the sea, very much. Now right there we have a tremendous picture that God is giving us where it’s as though you go to the beach and it’s all corn there every grain you see that’s how mighty a harvest it was and yet God adds the last detail, he left numbering; it was without number. Now does that sound familiar, does that sound familiar to us? It does, it does and keep in mind this is the great tribulation the great tribulation this corn is against the seven years of famine that corn that Joseph gathered which is without number will not be eaten no one will be able to get at it until the seven years of plenty are over then the storehouses opened up then you have corn that’s without number during the great tribulation which is representing the Gospel. Let’s go to Revelation 7:9 and here in Revelation 7 God begins in the first several verses discussing the church age where twelve thousand are sealed from each of the twelve tribes totaling a hundred and forty four thousand. Revelation 14 let’s us know that the hundred and forty four thousand are the firstfruits unto God that is they represent the believers saved during the New Testament age which is signaled by the feast of Pentecost the feast of Firstfruits and in verses 9-10:

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

And then skip down to verses 13-14:

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

A great multitude which no man can number that come out of great tribulation and when God says that and He’s making a point He specifically has this question asked for a reason that we might know where did they come from, where did they come from? Just like the three thousand that are saved on the feast of Pentecost those three thousand are intimately associated with the feast of Pentecost. Well this great multitude comes out of great tribulation they cannot be identified with any other period of time they cannot be identified with the church age or any other season they came out of great tribulation great tribulation the little period of time right next to the end of the world the little season where Satan is loosed and yet God is still working God is still saving people and in order to save a great multitude what do you need? You need a whole bunch of corn or to say it in one way you need a whole bunch of the Gospel. See you can’t separate the corn from or the Word of God from those that it saves and when Joseph is putting away a great multitude of corn it’s to physically save the lives of the people of Egypt it’s to physically save the lives of people from many other nations it’s to physically save the lives of Jacob and his family that are in the land of Canaan but spiritually the corn the Gospel spiritually saves the lives of sinners and when God puts away or historically when Joseph puts away a multitude of corn that cannot be numbered the spiritual significance is that it’s to feed a multitude of sinners that cannot be numbered in order that they will become saved in the time of great tribulation. In our present day God is going to save a great multitude and hasn’t He magnified and isn’t the Gospel going forth in such a way that it is without numbering. Can anyone figure out how much of the Word of God is going out covering the world at this point? Isn’t it unlike anything the world has ever known as the Gospel goes out over radio, over shortwave, over internet, through satellite. The electronic medium has really given God the ability to multiply the corn in a way that’s never been before so that the Gospel is blanketing the earth. The knowledge of God is as the waters of the sea covering the earth and God is sending forth His Word greatly because the storehouse is opened up because it is the time of great tribulation because we’re in the day that God has put this word away He has stored it up against this time against these days. God has always known just as Joseph and Pharaoh knew they had foreknowledge they knew seven years of plenty were not going to last forever they knew specifically exactly when the seven years of plenty would come to an end and when the famine would begin. They had full knowledge but Jacob, Jacob if we go back to Genesis 42 and his sons they didn’t have full knowledge they were ignorant they were ignorant they didn’t know anything about this. This was all taking place in Egypt this was going on in Egypt with Joseph and Pharaoh and Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams Jacob had no idea of the famine began in the land of Canaan actually the famine was over all the earth let’s read Genesis 41:53-57:

And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth: …

So God is saying this is a world wide phenomenon all the face of the earth was experiencing this famine just as we know that the spiritual famine that has come upon the church is not just local or it’s not just the United States it’s world wide it’s across the face of the earth the whole earth has entered into this time of spiritual famine where Satan has been loosed. And so you cannot find a faithful church anywhere you cannot find a faithful church anywhere and due to many of these trips where brothers and sisters are going to various nations and giving out the Gospel handing out tracts they’ve been able to search out cities over the past few years and see is there any faithful church here in India is there any faithful church in Africa is there any faithful church here? And they find the same thing they find the tongues gospel prevalent wherever they go they find other kinds of gospels, social gospels and free will gospels but the true Gospel cannot be found it cannot be found anywhere in the world today. Some people hold out you know there’s a man that I know who lives in a certain area of the United States where he can’t find a faithful church he just can’t and he’s been looking for years he cannot find a faithful church and yet he holds out the hope that there might be one out there somewhere and so he would not say the church age is over even though his own experience his own witness is that he cannot find a faithful church and yet God is letting us know that the reason is that it’s a world wide event the famine is over all the face of the earth there’s no exception, there’s no exception there’s no independent church somewhere there’s no little country that maybe hasn’t been tainted by the false gospels coming from the larger countries out there that could have a true Gospel but it’s all over the world the whole world is experiencing this time of dearth:

… And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

So all these surrounding nations they heard and they came into Egypt to buy corn. You know at this time Egypt became a super, super power super power. I mean they were a mighty nation before but now you have you have corn you have food and nobody else does talk about a monopoly talk about cornering the market. They have food which is a necessity for every person in the world to get some of or they’ll die and only in Egypt could you find it, it was only in Egypt and so Joseph in interpreting Pharaoh’s dream really greatly had the Egyptians exalted to a high place where they became the mighty power of the world and they would stay that way for a long time to come. They could charge whatever they wanted you know they could charge whatever they wanted for that corn wouldn’t you pay it, wouldn’t you pay it if you were in your part of the world and the dearth had come for the first year and you had no food but heard there’s food in Egypt and you went there and the Egyptian’s could name their price they could say whatever they wanted for this corn because this meant you would live. And so Joseph though we know was a just man he’s a just man and a good man so he didn’t try to extract more than was required then was necessary he sold the corn he sold the corn which actually there’s a verse in Proverbs 11 that says anyone who withholds corn the people will curse him the one who selleth it will be blessed so there’s nothing wrong in the fact that he sold the corn and he sold it for a just price and yet at this time Egypt could have overcome the whole world they could have just fed their army and not fed anyone else and they could have just marched into whatever neighboring nation they pleased and just overcome the whole land that’s the type of situation that was developing there and this greatly magnified the power of Pharaoh, Pharaoh became even a greater and more powerful king during this seven years of famine didn’t he? Didn’t Pharaoh become even more strong and powerful during the seven years of famine then he had during the seven years of plenty? Because during the seven years of plenty that was also affecting all lands that was affecting all the different nations out there and so Egypt was partaking in that but they were the only ones wise enough because God gave them the wisdom through Joseph to store away the corn against the time of famine and when that time of famine came then this highly exalted and glorified and lifted up Pharaoh, Pharaoh and remember Pharaoh is a picture of God we saw that earlier Pharaoh’s a type of God when he brought Joseph out of prison and he exalted Joseph to be his right hand man. So one thing we can see matter of factly is that during the time of great tribulation God is going to be greatly exalted God is going to be greatly glorified more so than He had been during the years of plenty during the church age God is going to get Him glory God is going to get Him honor during this little season of great tribulation and so this is God’s plan this is God’s plan all along. Now let’s just read the first couple of verses of Genesis 42:

Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

Now Jacob hears and that kind of word it finds ways of traveling fast right? That kind of word would get around quickly that there was food there’s corn and you would see a neighbor or something and he would not be suffering as others and you would say to him where did you get that? He’d say in Egypt I went to Egypt go there too go to Egypt there’s corn in Egypt there’s no corn anywhere else it’s only in Egypt and so Jacob hears the word and he sends his sons his ten sons he sends the ten sons but he reserves Benjamin he keeps Benjamin back and we know why he did this because he loved Benjamin. Benjamin and Joseph were brothers and he thought Joseph was dead and this only meant that Benjamin was the son of the woman that he loved so he kept Benjamin back he would not send Benjamin but he sent the other ten to get some corn. Now the land of Canaan the land of Canaan let’s go back to Genesis 17 and read just one verse, in verse 8. God is speaking to Abraham and He says there:

And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Canaan was to be an everlasting possession, immediately what do we know? That the earthly land the earthly land of Canaan was not in view that God is using that earthly land to picture the Kingdom of Heaven because nothing on this earth is an everlasting possession the earth is going to melt with a fervent heat and God therefore is using Canaan to typify the Kingdom of Heaven, in other words an outward earthly representation of the Kingdom of God exactly like the church is exactly like the church is. So Canaan typifies the church the corporate church that is found on this earth. The corporate church it’s not the Kingdom of Heaven no one will live forever in an earthly church but it points to the Kingdom of Heaven just as the land of Canaan just as the land of Canaan Abraham did not live forever in the land of Canaan neither did Isaac nor Jacob nor will anyone ever live forever in the earthly land of Canaan but what it points to is the eternal Kingdom of God. So Jacob and his sons are in the land of Canaan they’re in the church and it’s the great tribulation the year they’ve been there throughout the seven years of plenty which is the church age they’ve been in the land of Canaan and everything went well everything went smooth they were in the promised land that’s where God wanted them to be they were quite sure of that now the famine began and for the first year of the famine they remained in the land of Canaan because remember they didn’t have knowledge they were ignorant they did not know what was to come they saw there was a famine there was a drought there was a dearth the land was parched the crops were ruined for one year but it might pass it might pass there’s been other droughts recorded in the Bible maybe it would be a very terrible drought maybe it will last two or three years so let’s just go and get some corn out of Egypt temporarily, temporarily. They had no idea they had no desire they had no plan to move to Egypt they were going to stay in Canaan but they had to go to Egypt to get some food to bring back to Canaan they had to go get some corn and bring it back to Canaan and that was the plan that was the plan during the great tribulation. God is telling us this is what happened this is what happened during the beginning part of the great tribulation believers hear there’s the Gospel message somewhere outside the church they hear there’s a true Gospel message somewhere outside the church so they go and they partake they listen they hear that Gospel message then they come back to the church they come back to the church they feel they’ve got their corn they got their corn they’re going to stay right where they’re at they’re going to stay in the church they’re not going to move they’re not going anywhere they have no plan to do that and so this is what God is revealing to us and isn’t God amazing as He as He is opening up these things to us and giving us this insight. Now I’ll just read a little bit further and then we’ll conclude. Genesis 42:3-8:

And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

They didn’t know him see here’s the ten brothers the ten brothers that threw him into a pit the ten brothers that sold him to Midianite slave traders who in turn sold him as a slave to Potiphar in Egypt and Joseph of course knew them right away he recognized who they were and there they were you see why didn’t the ten brothers recognize him? Well maybe as they were riding into town as they’re riding into Egypt with their wagons or their mules as they’re coming into the city maybe if they happened to stumble across some slave working out in the fields somewhere they might have recognized him or maybe if they had gone by the prison and they saw somebody with his hands on the bars looking out the window they might have recognized him because that’s where they would expect Joseph to be but in no way in no possible way would these ten brothers expect the governor of the land of Egypt the lord of the land who’s like Pharaoh himself and probably in royal dress in their presence in no way would they think that that was Joseph so certainly they didn’t even consider it perhaps there was a slight resemblance but they didn’t consider that this could be Joseph that would be an impossibility. But it’s interesting isn’t it that Joseph speaks roughly to them and Joseph is a type of Christ and he knew them just of course Christ knows everyone of His and yet they knew not him. Now we’re looking for the spiritual meaning why would God speak roughly to His people who these ten sons are representing during the first half of the great tribulation and well we’ll take a look at that Lord willing next time and we’ll go further into Genesis 42.

Let’s close with a word of prayer.