Seven Years of plenty and famine

This study is compiled to take you on a journey into the mind of God to unpack and unravel the mystery of Pharaoh’s dream that only God Almighty can solve because He is the author of it. It is the mystery of the seven years of abundance and the seven years of famine.

The story of Joseph and this portion of his life is a mere snippet of the great story. It was recorded to mirror the greater story of an upcoming event that begins with Jacob’s trouble into a time of rest, Christ’s rule in the Millennium.

NUMBER SEVEN

E. W. Bullinger states that the number seven means spiritual perfection, a spiritual undertaking that results in completion. Joseph’s dream is the prophecy of Almighty God revealing that He will bring His people and all the world who respond to Him into spiritual perfection.

Almighty God is fully in charge. He will succeed and nobody can thwart His plan.

Joseph’s dream begins with the arrival of seven fat and good cows and seven full heads of grain. The dream of the cows and the grain tell the same prophecy. The number two is the symbol of a legal witness. Then, Joseph sees seven scrawny, lean, and ugly cows and scorched heads of grain.

The degradation resulting in scrawny, lean and ugly cows and scorched heads of grain is due to the east wind. God’s force is imaged as the east wind, His tool of destruction. The east winds in the Middle East are known for their power and destruction.

It is not until the seven scrawny, lean and ugly cows and the scorched heads of grain appear that an issue is raised. The issue is the nations of the world and ancient Israel ALL enjoy an abundance of self-sufficiency and self-administration for a meaningful period of time—a complete seven-year period. But, now that time of selfness comes to an end.

From Joseph’s dream, a plan was implemented when all the nations would become in need when they could no longer sustain themselves. They cry out for help.

The story of Joseph is a mirror of things to come. A time of great trouble lies on our near horizon for the 21st century nations of Israel. Twelve nations will enter into Jacob’s trouble. It will be a time of great trouble, bringing them all to their knees.

The seven years of famine will be a time of immense trading where Jesus Christ imaged in Joseph will trade God’s word to all of mankind were are starving for truth of God’s eternal word. The people of the nations will exchange their understanding of living to learn God’s law and His way of love. This period of time will begin during the Great Tribulation but will continue into the millennial reign of Christ when he is King over all kings, and Lord over all lords.

The seven lean and ugly cows will eat the fat cows and they remain the same. It is an image of the fattened ideas of mankind being consumed by God’s sinless ways without changing God’s law or His way. Church leaders have changed God’s Sabbath rest to a Sunday; they have made doctrinal decisions that do not reflect God’s true word. Jesus Christ is the one Teacher. He will correct every change and every misconception. Christ remains the same as he was yesterday, today and forever. He will not embrace any change from God’s perfect way of love.

The scorching of the seven heads of grain by the east wind [Almighty God] is the of God exposing the fallacies in their ideas, the mistakes in their theories and the fundamental flaws in every thought that causes them to become puffed up with a love for their own strength.

The east wind is the force of God to punish and move.

“So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts” (Exodus 10:13).

“Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge and fill himself with the east wind?” (Job 15:2)

“You contended with them by banishing them, by driving them away. With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the east wind” (Isaiah 27:8).

“Your rowers have brought you into great waters; the east wind has broken you in the heart of the seas” (Ezekiel 27:26).

While the people sell their savings to survive, they may not see the famine as burdensome, but when they run out and trade in their livestock, land and finally themselves, they will likely feel the pain of their fall from a lofty place onto their knees in servitude to Almighty God.

Corruption, injustice, theft, oppression, lying and deceit will be punished. The leaders will feel oppressed as they are humbled and brought into servitude.

The seven years of famine are so life-changing that when this history is repeated in the near future, the nations won’t even remember their self-centred ways during the times when they lived without God.

Generations will pass during the Millennial reign of Christ and humble servitude will be all they will remember.

God’s penmanship is exquisite. His language is a journey beyond mortality into the vast wonders of eternity. His message to all of mankind is clearly preserved in His Holy Days, mirrored in His covenant people, and reflected in preserved stories of people: their conversations, their healings, their journeys, their everyday lives recorded in the Holy Bible to reveal a precious promise of salvation that is gift wrapped with the great honour of being a member of His holy, royal, ruling God-family.

The history of ancient Israel provides insight into the future. A review is important.

During the first two years of the famine, Israel/Jacob’s family was starving. This is an image of their self-reliance and independence dwindling away. They were forced to return to Egypt. They were in great distress coming before Joseph. This is a prophecy of what will come. God’s people who have not repented or matured spiritually to qualify for the first resurrection, will come before Jesus Christ in judgement. They thought they were righteous, but they were gravely mistaken. Some may be confused; others will recognize their short-comings and begin a spiritual growth that will be highly rewarding.

It is prophesied that they will repent. At their humble and sincere submission, Christ will be moved to tears and he will bring ALL, not just Benjamin, all twelve tribes close to him. The twelve tribes today are twelve nations. A future event will unveil their identity and even they will be surprised. They are the West and Western Europe. They are Caucasians who lived by the Caucasus Mountains during and after their captivity for a long time.

Joseph gave the area of Goshen to his family. It was the best land for shepherding and they will be completely cared for by Christ without having to pay a penny. Any costs involved were paid already by Jesus Christ. God’s people will want to live His law and way.

NUMBER FIVE

E. W. Bullinger states that number five is symbolic of grace. To see the bigger story here, a review of the backstory is important.

A time period of five reveals a time of grace during a time when the world is buying a life-reviving substance from Joseph, the mirror Christ. This time period is the Millennium when Christ rules over every nation on earth.

The repentant people of God will live in abundance under the care of Christ and God the Father will also come in among them in this NEW place, mirrored in Goshen.

These people are shepherds caring for their flock, living in kindness, gentleness, justice, honesty and God’s righteousness.

A REVIEW OF JOSEPH’S DREAM WITH A DEEPER LOOK.

•  The 7 scorched heads of grain consume the 7 fat heads of grain without effect on the scorched heads. This mirrors the ineffectual impact of man’s knowledge and strength compared to Almighty God. 

God will apply mankind’s own theories, such as evolution, to destroy their arguments. He will not stop until every last faulty thought of man is consumed by their own faulty logic.

Satan will have ruled on earth for 3 ½ years preaching hatred for God, our Maker and King.

The nations will surrender to the Beast and Satan without a fight.

“And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marvelled and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?” (Revelation 13:2-4)

They will accept his godship over them. They will eat and drink and marry planning their future with him.

“As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark” (Matthew 24:37-38).

Hence the reason for God’s judgment on them. “I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless” (Isaiah 13:11).

The famine that the nations will experience will be intense pressure from Almighty God for them to see and understand the fallibility of man compared to the absolute infallibility of their Creator and bring them to their knees. 

One final test will remain after the Millennial reign, Wickedness will not prevail.

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (I Corinthians 10:11).