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Who Were Jannes and Jambres? The Magicians Who Opposed Moses
How did Pharaoh's magicians mimic miracles and why did they fail?
What do we know of Jannes and Jambres who withstood Moses?
AdventAI
Jannes and Jambres were the chief magicians of Pharaoh's court who used satanic power and deceptive enchantments to resist the work of God through His servants Moses and Aaron.
Identity and Origins
Magical Practitioners: They were sorcerers and "wise men" in Egypt who served as instruments of Satan to counteract the divine mission of delivering Israel from bondage.
Ancestry: According to historical traditions, they were the two sons of Balaam, and their father was present when they stood against Moses.
Names in History: Their names are of Egyptian origin and appear in ancient documents, as well as being mentioned by the Roman writer Pliny.
Their Work Against Moses
Counterfeiting Miracles: When Aaron's rod became a serpent, Jannes and Jambres used magic to make their own rods appear as serpents, though they did not actually create life, as that is God's prerogative alone.
Specific Plagues: They were permitted to imitate the turning of water into blood and the bringing up of frogs upon the land.
Limit of Power: Their power was strictly limited by God; they failed to produce the plague of lice and were forced to acknowledge, "This is the finger of God" Exodus 8:18-19.
Defeat and Exposure: They were ultimately unable to protect even themselves from the plagues, as they were covered in boils and could not stand before Moses Exodus 9:11.
Spiritual Significance
Agents of Satan: Their work was a counterfeit designed to harden Pharaoh’s heart and stagger the faith of Moses and Aaron.
A Warning for the Last Days: The Apostle Paul explains that just as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, there will be those in the last days who resist the truth through similar satanic miracles and a form of godliness that denies its power 2 Timothy 3:5-8.
Modern Parallel: This resistance is seen today in the increase of spiritualism, mesmerism, and other deceptions that attempt to explain away the miracles of Christ.
Final Outcome: Just as the folly of Jannes and Jambres was made manifest to all, those who resist the truth in the final period of history will proceed no further and will ultimately be exposed 2 Timothy 3:9.
Sources · 25
- 1T 291.1Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1
- SGL 24.1Spiritual Gifts
- SITI December 18, 1884, page 758.28The Signs of the Times, vol. 10
- ST November 6, 1884, par. 4The Signs of the Times
- NTMS 19.1The Nature and Tendency of Modern Spiritualism
- ADRE September 1850, page 6.5The Advent Review, vol. 1
- BHOTV2 56.2Bible History Old Testament Vol. 2
- PP 263.2Patriarchs and Prophets
- ST March 11, 1880, par. 4The Signs of the Times
- ARSH January 20, 1853, page 140.16The Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, vol. 3
- 3SG 208.1Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3
- BHOTV2 59.4Bible History Old Testament Vol. 2
- SITI January 20, 1888, page 38.5The Signs of the Times, vol. 14
- KJV — Exodus 8:18King James Version
- 3SG 212.1Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3
- 5T 697.3Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5
- ARSH July 21, 1853, page 35.2The Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, vol. 4
- ARSH October 16, 1855, page 61.9The Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, vol. 7
- SITI November 13, 1884, page 674.7The Signs of the Times, vol. 10
- NTMS 15.3The Nature and Tendency of Modern Spiritualism
- ExV 47.3A Sketch of the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen G. White
- ARSH December 26, 1854, page 146.17The Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, vol. 6
- ARSH January 20, 1853, page 141.1The Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, vol. 3
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- HST February 14, 1844, page 12.9The Advent Herald, and Signs of the Times Reporter [Himes], vol. 7