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The Destroying Angel

Illustration of The Destroying Angel

At the first Passover, the LORD sent a destroyer through Egypt to strike down every firstborn, passing over the houses marked with lamb's blood. The same destroying angel appears striking Israel after David's census and the Assyrian army in Hezekiah's day. These accounts reveal angels as executors of God's righteous judgment, and the blood-marked doorposts as a picture of deliverance.

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Strongest connections in Scripture

Key Passages

The Passover Destroyer

Exodus 12:21-30

The destroyer strikes every firstborn in Egypt but passes over the homes marked with the blood of the lamb.

T21hen Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.

22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. 25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORDโ€™s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

Did You Know?

1

The same 'destroyer' struck Egypt's firstborn and later Israel after David's census.

2

In one night, the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.

3

The Passover blood on the doorposts is what caused the destroyer to 'pass over.'

4

This is why the feast is called Passover - the angel passed over the marked homes.