Voices From Hell Speaking to America - Part 3 — Alan Cairns

Pharaoh's Lamentation and Judgment

And they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquity shall be upon their bones, although they were the tower of the mighty in the land of the living. Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword.

There is Edom, her kings and all her princes, which with their might are led by them that were slain by the sword. They shall lie with the uncircumcised and with them that go down to the pit. There be the princes of the north, all of them, all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain.

With their terror they are ashamed of their might, and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit. Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord God.

For I have caused my terror in the land of the living, and he shall be led in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.

Ezekiel's Difficult but Timeless Message

Amen. The Lord will add his own blessing to the reading of his own precious word for his name's sake. Even this brief reading will tell you Ezekiel is a difficult book. We all know that. That's why many of you, in reading the Bible, have left it out.

But it's a book that you should read, for it has a message. It transcends the centuries, and I trust tonight we will find it has a message for us in this day. This 32nd chapter of Ezekiel is a prophetic lamentation of the impending destruction of Pharaoh and of his armies, of the great Egyptian nation, and what this portion calls her daughters, that is, the surrounding nations that depended for their security upon Egypt.

Egypt as Judah's False Hope

Now, this was not a popular prophecy, because at that time it appeared to the nations of that what we now call the Middle Eastern region, what would be Israel, Palestine, those surrounding areas, it appeared to them that Egypt held out the best hope of thwarting the designs of the great king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, hitherto an all-conquering king.

The only chance of stopping him overrunning the rest of the nations appeared to lie with Egypt and her mighty army. So prevalent was this belief that it had really taken over the political elite in the land of Judah.

The king of Judah believed it, his princes believed it, their prophets believed it, their priests believed it, and their people believed it. The only trouble is that Jeremiah, the only true prophet of God, did not believe it, and God did not teach it.

There were many in Judah depending on Pharaoh, and Pharaoh encouraged that trust, this is your bulwark against the oncoming hordes of the Babylonians. But it was a forlorn hope, for the doom of both Judah and Egypt was sealed.

Pharaoh's Confidence in Egypt's Military Power

To Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, it seemed an absurdity as well as an impossibility that he and his army, his prosperous and powerful nation, with all the nations around about to support him, could be overrun and defeated by Nebuchadnezzar.

Pharaoh was rich, and he was powerful. His nation was wealthy, and it was prosperous. And with such a surrounding number of nations giving their allegiance to him, it just was unthinkable that he could be overrun.

God's Word Against Egypt

But the Lord had a word for Pharaoh and to Pharaoh. He said to the prophet, son of man, wheel for the multitude of Egypt and cast them down, even her and the daughters of the famous nations, onto the nether parts of the earth with them that go down to the pit.

And then the Lord turns the question directly to Pharaoh and to Egypt. Whom dost thou pass in beauty? Go down and be thou led with the uncircumcised. In other words, the Lord was saying to Pharaoh and to Egypt, you are great, but you're not unique in this.

There have been other great nations before you, nations that were also wealthy and powerful, attended by great armies that had been able to spread their terror across the earth and subjugate others to their control.

The Graves of Fallen Nations

But where are they now? Consider Ashur or Assyria, Elam, Meshach and Tubal, Edom, and the princes of Zidon. They were great. They were wealthy, just as you are. They had all those advantages in which you are depending, but they have perished everyone, and so will you.

The Lord is really in this passage saying, go to their graves and see where they lie. Their hosts, their armies, their soldiers, lie buried, their bones interred in the earth. Let those solemn scenes from the graveyards of these nations be a witness to you of their destruction.

Earthly Power and the Judgment of God

The Lord indeed goes further and says to Egypt, look beyond the graves of earth, for those great nations have not only seen their armies buried in the earth, but those nations have long since sunk into hell to endure the wrath of the God they despised and of the God whom they opposed.

And from hell, if you will but have an ear to listen, you will hear them speak. Our text tonight is in verse 21, The strong among the mighty shall speak to him, that is Pharaoh, out of the midst of hell.

The Lord is saying to Pharaoh, Pharaoh, this is a testimony you need to hear. Those ancient nations did not perish by accident. They were not merely the victims of a superior military force. No, they lie in hell because of the just judgment of God.

The Voices From Hell as a Warning to Egypt

I hope you noted as we were reading through the passage that there is this constant reference to the terror that these nations had inflicted upon the earth. Because of their might and their wealth and their armies, they had been able to spread their ideas by force.

They had terrorized the land. But in the 32nd verse, the Lord says, I have caused my terror in the land of the living. I have brought them down to hell. That was the Lord's message to Egypt. Standing there on the edge of the grave, Egypt was commanded to listen to the voices from hell that bade her prepare for the coming day of judgment and of the wrath of God.

Those voices and myriads of others who have since perished with them still speak. It is usual in this pulpit that I will draw your attention to the voice that speaks from heaven.