The Scientific 10 Plagues of Egypt

I just watch a movie called THE REAPING

THE REAPING is a religion-themed horror film based on the 10 Plagues of Egypt released on April 5, 2007, starring Hilary Swank. The movie wasnt all that great but I was impressed with how Hilary Swank explained the 10 Plagues of Egypt in a scientific way, which I am going to blog it here.

Being a biblical person myself, this movie has helped me understand that God might have brought the 10 plagues upon Eygpt in a natural way.

THE 10 PlAGUES OF EYGPT

1.(Exodus 7:14-25)- Rivers and other water sources turned to blood ('Dam')
2.(Exodus 7:26-8:11)- Amphibians (commonly believed to be frogs) ('Tsfardeia')
3.(Exodus 8:12-15)- Gnats ('Kinim')
4.(Exodus 8:16-28)- Flies, ('Arov')
5.(Exodus 9:1-7)- Disease on livestock ('Dever')
6.(Exodus 9:8-12)- Unhealable boils ('Shkhin')
7.(Exodus 9:13-35)- Hail mixed with fire ('Barad')
8.(Exodus 10:1-20)- Locusts ('Arbeh')
9.(Exodus 10:21-29)- Darkness ('Choshech')
10.(Exodus 11:1-12:36)- Death of the firstborn ('Makat Bechorot')

(Plague 1—water turned into blood, fish died)-
The redness in the Nile could have actually been pollution caused by volcanic activity, which, due to the color of Nile silt, could make the Nile turn blood red, and would also render it undrinkable. Heavy rains in the red-soiled area of Lake Victoria could have caused reddened water to wash downstream. Alternatively, a red toxic algal bloom (red tide) could have produced large quantities of toxins that would kill fish. Earthquakes could have caused a limnic eruption the same way it happened at Lake Nyos.

(Plague 2—frogs)-
Any blight on the water that killed fish also would have caused frogs to leave the river and, probably, die.

(Plagues 3 and 4—biting insects and flies)-
The lack of frogs in the river would have let insect populations, normally kept in check by the frogs, increase massively.

(Plagues 5 and 6— livestock disease and boils)-
There are biting flies in the region which transmit livestock diseases; a sudden increase in their number could spark epidemics.

(Plague 7—hail)-
Volcanic activity not only brings with it ash, but brimstone, and also alters the weather system, occasionally producing hail. Hail could also have occurred as a completely independent natural weather event.

(Plague 8—locusts)-
The weight of hail will destroy most crops, leaving several insects and other animals without a normal food source. The remaining crops therefore would become targeted heavily, and thus be destroyed by swarms of locusts which would otherwise be distributed rather thinly. Or the locusts could have increased due to a lack of predators. Even without these explanations, swarms of locusts are not uncommon today.

(Plague 9—darkness)-
There could be several causes for unusual darkness: a solar eclipse, a sandstorm, volcanic ash, or simply swarms of locusts large enough to block out the sun.

(Plague 10—death of the firstborn)-
If the last plague indeed selectively tended to affect the firstborn, it could be due to food polluted during the time of darkness, either by locusts or by the black mold Cladosporium. When people emerged after the darkness, the firstborn would be given priority, as was usual, and would consequently be more likely to be affected by any toxin or disease carried by the food.