Moses faceoff- how did the Egyptians get their snakes?

[MorningGlory]

Funny; I just watched a movie about this last night on DayStar. I think it was a magic trick....of course, a lot of that stuff is satanically inspired.

Can you explain how it would of been a trick? Anyone ... ?

Pharoah's court was entertained by various viziers and magicians at that time; from what I've read of court life in Egypt 5,000 years ago they drugged the snakes and placed them, curled up, inside their long sleeves. (Major 'ewwww" factor there!) Then by waving their wand they could 'palm' the snake, slip the wand into their sleeve and make it appear as though the wand turned into a snake. This stuff is still done today....google 'illusions...magic...trick the eye'.

Thanks, but do you really think that this is how they operated then? Personally, I believe satan does have a way to make things appear what they are not, as turning a rod into a serpent. His words tells us "For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." IT appears that the rod turned into a serpent. How could this happen if the rod was up their sleeve, and one more thing, usually the rod was longer then a sleeve ...

I don't know, OneLight; I'm only going by what I've read, seen in movies and deduced myself. It could very well have been satan behind the 'magic'; I don't remember what the Bible says about the source of the tricks played on Moses and Aaron.

[traveller]

Looks to me like the magicians would have had to know what Moses was going to do in order to prepare if it were a trick.

[Blien]

exactly. What's more, if it was purely an illusion then the Bible wouldn't call it "Dark Arts" or "enchantments".

Exodus 8:18

18 The magicians tried by their enchantments and secret arts to bring forth gnats or mosquitoes, but they could not; and there were gnats or mosquitoes on man and beast.

[7thseal]

Satan is supernatural. He has limitations, but he is very powerful supernaturally speaking.

The Egyptian magicians were not "magicians" by our modern standard use of the term. They were occultists heavily steeped in their craft and were more than likely posssessed by demons themselves.

I don't know the nuts and bolts of how they caused their staff's to become snakes but the Bible says they did, and I believe the Bible.

I agree he has power and those limitations are set by God.

Here's another example of this, when Jesus was being tempted by Satan.

Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And another,

Luke 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

Did Satan instruct Jesus to climb up on top of the temple.... or did Satan place Jesus up there?

[MorningGlory]

Looks to me like the magicians would have had to know what Moses was going to do in order to prepare if it were a trick.

Yeah...good point. That would have been just about impossible.

[Botz]

Well the court magicians were able to demonstrate their occultic powers not only by producing snakes, but also changing water into blood 7:22 and making frogs come up onto the land 8:7...but their powers ran dry when it came to the gnats/lice, and this always speaks to me of the limitations that the enemy has, and how much more powerful and 'in control' G-d is....(on a side note, I shouldn't think the people or Pharoah were that impressed that the magicians added to their discomfort)

[MorningGlory]

Well the court magicians were able to demonstrate their occultic powers not only by producing snakes, but also changing water into blood 7:22 and making frogs come up onto the land 8:7...but their powers ran dry when it came to the gnats/lice, and this always speaks to me of the limitations that the enemy has, and how much more powerful and 'in control' G-d is....(on a side note, I shouldn't think the people or Pharoah were that impressed that the magicians added to their discomfort)

I thought that Moses, with God's help, did those things when he was trying to convince Pharoah to let his people go. Along with killing the firstborn of every household.

[nebula]

(on a side note, I shouldn't think the people or Pharoah were that impressed that the magicians added to their discomfort)

Yeah - I've thought of that too.

Gee, let's just fill the land with even more frogs!!!!

[BlindSeeker]

Looks to me like the magicians would have had to know what Moses was going to do in order to prepare if it were a trick.

Or . . . perhaps God knew it was a trick that the magicians frequently did to "show" their power to Pharaoh to keep him deceived into thinking they were "powerful." Maybe to Pharaoh and the sorcerers what Arron did was just a mere trick that they had all witnessed before . . . . and having to be called they had time to prepare for the messenger sent for them surely told them what Arron had done.

Ex 7:11

Then

Pharaoh also

called the wise men and the sorcerers

: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

They were also able to duplicate Arron's (God's) miracle with the frogs, something that again could have been by slight of hand and trickery since one might as easily catch some frogs as they could a snake.

Ex 8:6 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.

7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

But the real proof of their power was exposed not in the snakes or the frogs, but in something much, much smaller and not as easy to catch and release where you need to . . .

Ex 8:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

18 And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice,

but they could not

: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.

19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Maybe God just took them in their own craftiness of deception with the real thing . . .

Job 5:13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

Ps 33:10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.

Isa 19:3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

Isa 47:10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.

11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.

12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.

13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

Which is easier, to create a living thing or to create a fire? Remember the false prophets of Baal could not produce fire while the God of Elijah sent it straight from heaven. If it where truly within the power of demons and lying spirits to turn sticks into snakes, don't you think they could have produced some fire?

Never forget, the power of the devil exists in his cunning ability to deceive and perform trickery, he is the father of lies . . .

[Deepblue]

I know. I find if amusing that people believe the magicians just happened to have snakes up their sleeves....

So it's more likely that they were believing in their "gods" to do a miracle and satan made it happen? Makes sense. But when you watch magic shows, it looks like they have snakes up their sleeves sometimes.

First of all, today's magicians are actually illusionists. Except for some odd balls, they will all admit to this.

As for the magic shows, they have it planned to pull "snakes" out of their sleeves (though it's usually something more friendly than a snake ).

For these magicians in Egypt to have pulled snakes out of their sleeves, they would have had to have the snakes just hanging out in their sleeves - for what reason? None of them knew what Moses and Aaron were going to do.

You got me there. I agree with you.