Pharaoh’s Dreams and Preparation for Tribulation, Genesis 41

 

From the pit, through the prison to the palace.

At seventeen years old, Joseph was sold into slavery, by his own brothers. Then, he was falsely accused by his master’s wife and thrown into prison.

He turned thirty years old in prison doing life without parole, but before the day is done, he’ll be second in command over Egypt.

How quickly things can change. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and the trump of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall we ever be with the Lord.

Are you ready to change from this prison of corruption to the palace of immortality?  

For those who are ready, it’ll happen, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

Are you ready?

The Bible is not just an old Book about old events in the olden days. The Bible is alive and active and ever relevant to current events, and those just around the bend, and all the way to the very end of time.

Did you know almost 1/3^rd of the Bible is prophetic? It tells of things to come and is 100% accurate.

Are you preprayered? Joseph was.

He encountered some dreams, his own and others. They all were prophetic in nature; they told of things to come. They did it not with words but pictures, like scenes from a movie.

God often speaks like that. He uses types and shadows and pictures and parallels; Jesus spoke with parables.

You may not believe it, but I believe the Lord started painting a parallel picture for us the moment we stepped into Genesis 41.

We’re reading about Joseph’s life, but the Living Word of God is painting a picture of ours and what is soon to come.

Let’s dive in and I’ll show you what I mean.

Are you ready?

Joseph’s just been called from the prison to the palace because Pharaoh had some wonky dreams and heard that Joseph could interpret them.

But Joe humbly said “No, I can’t interpret anything, but God can interpret everything.”

So, Pharaoh told Joseph about seven fat cows being eaten by seven skinny cows, and seven healthy plump heads of grain being eaten by seven scrawny drought-stricken heads of grain. After eating they were still just as skinny, scrawny and drought stricken as before.

²⁵ Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: ²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. ²⁷ And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. ²⁸ This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 

Notice, twice he says that God is doing what God does, telling of things to come. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus tells us in John 16:13, that His Holy Spirit of Truth will guide us into all Truth and tell us of things to come.

He’s still speaking, telling us of things to come. Are we listening? Are we looking for His types and shadows and pictures and parallels?

²⁹ Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; ³⁰ but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. ³¹ So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. 

The seven-year famine will be so severe that the years of plenty will be forgotten, the days of abundance will be unknown.

There’s another seven-year famine quickly approaching, not only a famine of natural food, but a famine of the Word of God.

One day, maybe today, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the Presence of God, in the people of God, will be taken out of the way, caught-up (raptured) into Heaven. 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:52.

³² And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Friends, it is only by Divine timing we happen to be in this chapter at this time in HIStory. Twenty-nine times Genesis 41 mentions the number seven, more than any other chapter in the Bible.

Listen, is God speaking? Is He painting US a picture, drawing a parallel, a prophecy of our destiny?

Remember in, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, and 1 Corinthians 15:52, “the last trump” and “the trump of God” depict an event that kicks off seven years of tribulation, seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowl judgements.

Our prior message detailed the amazing relevance of the number seven, with Israel and the US, then, now and coming soon. The next day, after giving that message, I discovered we were seventy days away from Inauguration Day for the forty-seventh president.

Could the second term of this president, be a sign that, the last Trump will trigger the trump of God; repeated twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

He’s still speaking, telling us of things to come. Are we listening? Are we looking for His types and shadows and pictures and parallels?

³³ “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 

Wow! Just hours ago, Joe was a stinky convicted felon doing life without parole. Now he’s clean shaven and boldly telling Pharaoh what to do.

Pharaoh, the ruler over all of Egypt, a man considered to be a god on earth. But ol’ Joe wasn’t threatened because when you commune daily with the King of kings, earthly kings carry no intimidation.

³⁴ Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 

The Lord is painting a parallel picture today.

Egypt is going through a changing of the guard. So is America.

A man is selected over all the land of Egypt. So have we.

He appoints officers to fill out his cabinet. We are in the process of doing just that.  

³⁵ And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. ³⁶ Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.”

They stored up food and grain for the seven-year famine.

Preparation is wise and good and should be done. However, as Christians, we prepare for more than just a seven-year famine, or a brief lifetime. Our sowing is toward an Eternal goal, a harvest of souls, so not one we’ve been given, will perish in the famine.

That is why in every service we offer books and Bibles and tracts for free; Seed for you to plant toward the soon coming famine.

We’re all called to God’s rescue mission.  

Have you led someone to Jesus today?

We pray you do.

The day’s not over, yet.

But there’s no time to waste.

³⁷ So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. ³⁸ And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”

³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. ⁴⁰ You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” ⁴¹ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” ⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 

Joseph, a (falsely accused) convicted felon, becomes ruler over all the land of Egypt, the nation that has more influence with Israel than any other nation on the planet at the time.

If you don’t see it yet, pause and ask the Lord to reveal the parallel picture He’s painted for US.

Lord, we pray You open our ears, our eyes, our hearts, to what Your Spirit is saying to the Church.  

⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷ Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly. ⁴⁸ So 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; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. ⁴⁹ Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.

They gathered in abundance in the days of plenty.

We are living in the days of plenty. For the moment, there’s more than enough, to fill our lanterns, to fulfill our mission.

To whom much is given, much is required.

The only thing we don't have much of, is time.

Dear Church, if we come up short, if we miss the mark, if we fail our mission, we are without excuse.

Jesus called the servant who buried his talent, his gift, his calling, a wicked, worthless lazy servant, and had him cast him into outer darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Matthew 25:25-30.

⁵⁰ And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. ⁵¹ Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” ⁵² And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

⁵³ Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the days of plenty will end.

Are you prepared? Preprayered? Are all those He’s given you?

⁵⁴ and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 

The famine began to come. Jesus tells us when you see these things begin to happen, be not scared, but prepared, discerning the signs of the times, and lift up your head, for your redemptions draws nigh. Luke 21:28.

⁵⁵ So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.” ⁵⁶ The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷ So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.

All the land cried out to Pharaoh for food.

They should’ve cried out to the one and only True God. Instead they cried out to Pharaoh, a man considered to be a god.

Pharaoh pointed the people to his right hand man, Zaphnath-Paaneah (Joseph).

There are multiple ideas regarding the definition of Zaphnath-Paaneah; the name Pharaoh gave to Joseph. One of the Egyptian definitions is: He who seizes on account of food.

The parallel painting gets clearer.

Soon, all will come, all tribes, all tongues, all nations, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, will come to the antichrist for the mark of the beast, so they can buy and sell and be able to eat. Rev. 13:16-17.

Friends, the bad news is, that this is going to happen, it is established by God and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.

The Good news is you don’t have to be here for any of it. God doesn’t want you to be here for any of it. That’s why He’s sounding the trumpet loud and long so much so that some are offended and plug their ears and run from the message.

We pray that’s not you. We pray that you hear and heed and preprayer your way all the way from the pit, through the prison, to the Palace with the Pearly Gates, taking many people with you.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word that’s alive and active and at work right here in our midst. Thank You for revealing to us things to come. Most of all thank You for giving us Your Love so that we care enough to share Your Way of escape with all those You’ve given us, so none, are lost.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

Acts 2:17 (Joel 2:28) ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

Habakkuk 1:5, “Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.

 

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