Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

wilderness. The monarch agreed and begged the servants of God to
ask God to remove the plague. They promised to do this but warned
him against dealing deceitfully with them. The plague was stopped,
but the king's heart had become hardened by persistent rebellion,
and he still refused to yield.
A more terrible blow followed--a plague of disease came upon
all the Egyptian cattle. Both the sacred animals and the beasts of
burden--cows and oxen and sheep, horses and camels and donkeys--
were destroyed. It had been clearly stated that the Hebrews were to
be exempt; and Pharaoh, on sending messengers to the home of the
Israelites, confirmed the truth of this. "Of the livestock of the
children of Israel, not one died." Still the king refused to yield.
Moses was next directed to take ashes from a furnace and
"scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh." The fine
particles spread over the land of Egypt, and wherever they settled,
they produced boils that broke out "in sores on man and beast." The
priests and magicians had encouraged Pharaoh in his stubbornness,
but now a judgment had reached even them. Struck with a repulsive
and painful disease, they were no longer able to fight against the
God of Israel. The magicians were not even able to protect their own
bodies.
Still the heart of Pharaoh grew harder. And now the Lord sent a
message to him, "At this time I will send all My plagues to your
very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may
know that there is none like Me in all the earth. ... But indeed for
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