Once
again my inbox contains a number of questions about Egypt, just like it
did when former Pres. Hosni Mubarak was ousted in Feb. 2011 and a year
later when Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood was elected
President. During both those times articles appeared on various web
sites trying to connect the events with the fulfillment of end times
prophecy. But as Morsi's abrupt removal after only 16 months in office
clearly shows, we don't know what the ultimate outcome of the current
situation will be so we really don't know what if any prophecy is being
fulfilled. With that in mind, let's take another look at the Bible to
see if we can get the Lord's perspective on our question, "What's to
become of Egypt?"
Like
I said it's still too early to see if the current unrest in Egypt will
lead to the fulfillment of prophecy. Those who've read my study on the
Psalm 83 scenario know that I don't believe Egypt is one of the nations
mentioned there. Neither does Egypt appear in the lineup of combatants
in the Battle of Ezekiel 38 that will follow shortly afterward.
Participation in one or both of these battles would be expected if Egypt
had successfully established itself as a radical Islamic nation.
However,
the situation is still volatile. As of this writing, the Egyptian
military has taken direct control of the country again, making only
vague promises where the future is concerned.
Several people have written to ask if the current events in Egypt could be a fulfillment of Isaiah 19:2-4. Let's read it.
"I
will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian-brother will fight against
brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against
kingdom. The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to
nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the
mediums and the spiritists. I will hand the Egyptians over to the power
of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them," declares the
Lord, the Lord Almighty."
An
initial reading shows some similarity to current events. But Egypt has
had a long history of internal conflict, so it would be a mistake to
think of the current unrest as being unique. Also, Isaiah said they
would consult their idols, the spirits of the dead, the mediums and
spiritists in an effort to figure out how to avoid defeat. This is a
clue that the passage speaks of an event that's in our distant past,
although it was prophecy when Isaiah wrote it. In Isaiah's time Egypt
was a pagan nation as it had been for centuries. But today Egypt is
80-90% Muslim (mostly Sunni), with the remainder being Coptic
Christians. Neither religion permits the kind of practices Isaiah spoke
of.
I'm
convinced this passage was fulfilled when God gave Egypt over to
Nebuchadnezzar following his defeat of the Southern Kingdom in 586 BC.
Ezekiel 29:17-20 tells us that God was doing this as a reward to
Nebuchadnezzar for his 15 yearlong campaign to conquer Tyre. Even though
the siege of Tyre was only partially successful, God said, "I have
given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did
it for me" (Ezekiel 29:20). I believe Nebuchadnezzar, who was known as
"The Destroyer Of Nations", was the fierce king Isaiah had in view as
Egypt's cruel master.
Back To The Future
We
can tell from Scripture that eventually Egypt will become part of the
End Times Roman Empire, also being called The Islamic Caliphate by some.
According to Daniel 11:40-42
the King of the South, which in Daniel 11 always refers to Egypt, will
make an unsuccessful play for leadership during the Great Tribulation by
attacking the forces of the anti-Christ. Daniel 11:42
reveals that this will bring Egypt under the anti-Christ's control. The
timing is shortly before the anti-Christ moves his headquarters to
Jerusalem (Daniel 11:45) for the final showdown in his quest to control the world.
Of
all the nations who either are now or have been significant in the
Middle East, only Israel, Egypt and Assyria are mentioned at the outset
of the Millennium, and all three are held in high esteem by the Lord.
The
LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people,
Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance." (Isaiah 19:25)
This
means that sometime between their defeat by the anti-Christ and the 2nd
Coming a significant number of Egyptians will become believers and will
survive to populate their homeland during the Millennium. We'll turn
once again to Isaiah 19 for more insight.
In
that day the Egyptians will become weaklings. They will shudder with
fear at the uplifted hand that the Lord Almighty raises against them.
And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to
whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified, because of what the Lord
Almighty is planning against them (Isaiah 19:16-17).
I've
read the major translations of these two verses and none of them say
that anything will actually happen to Egypt at this time. I've come to
the conclusion that the Egyptian people will be persuaded that the Lord
is about to execute some major judgment against them. It will be as if
they can see Him raising His hand to smite them as He takes the battle
field to defend His people against the nations of the world (Zechariah
14:3). This will so terrify them that there will be a massive national
conversion to the Lord, reminiscent of Nineveh's conversion after Jonah
warned them of a coming judgment (Jonah 3). It will happen just in time
to prevent their destruction in the final days of the Great Tribulation.
The Great Pyramid?
In
that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a
monument to the LORD at its border. It will be a sign and witness to
the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD
because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender,
and he will rescue them. So the LORD will make himself known to the
Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the LORD. They will
worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the
LORD and keep them. (Isaiah 19:19-21)
Only
Egypt has a location that's both on the border and in the heart of the
country. That's possible because in Hebrew, Egypt's name is Mizraim, a
plural word that means "two Egypts." In ancient times they were two
countries, Upper (southern) Egypt and Lower (northern) Egypt, but they
were joined to become one.
The
name of this location is Giza. It's on the border between the two
Egypts and in the heart of the combined Egypt. And there's already a
one-of-a-kind ancient monument there, called the Great Pyramid.
The
Great Pyramid is thought to have been built in the 22nd Century BC on a
13-acre base made level to within less than 1 inch. 900 million cubic
feet of granite blocks were used in its construction. To this day
engineers can't explain how the workers managed to fit those huge blocks
together so carefully in building a monument nearly 500 feet high. Some
of the larger ones weigh nearly 80 tons.
It
originally had a face of polished white limestone consisting of 115,000
stones finished on all six sides to within .01 inch of being perfectly
straight. Cut on a bevel, they fit together with seams of less than
1/50th of an inch. They were then cemented together and polished to a
high sheen. It's said that the pyramid shone as if made of light itself
and could be seen from over a hundred miles away. Over time the face has
been stolen and carried away.
Unlike
the 80 or so other pyramids in Egypt, which are vastly inferior copies,
the Great Pyramid was not built as a tomb but as a monument, one that
has architectural and astronomical features experts would be hard
pressed to duplicate today. There are those who believe it was built as a
unique tribute to God by beings with supernatural abilities. It's
entirely possible that this amazing structure could again become an
altar and a monument, restored by the Egyptian people as an expression
of gratitude for the Lord's mercy upon them.
The
"savior and defender" who will rescue them from their oppressor (the
anti-Christ) has to be a reference to the Messiah, through whom God will
make Himself known to the Egyptians as we've seen above. We're not
given any more detail than that, but obviously this will have to happen
prior to the 2nd Coming because afterwards it will be too late.
It's Not Over Yet
Sometime
during the Millennium Egypt will get into trouble with the Lord again,
and this time they won't repent in time to avoid His judgment. Isaiah 19:22
tells us that the Lord will strike Egypt, and when they return to Him
he will heal the nation. I think this is described in Zechariah 14:16-19.
Then
the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go
up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to
celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth
do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they
will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part,
they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he
inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of
Tabernacles. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of
all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
This
could also be the time of fulfillment for Ezekiel 29:8-16 which records
an outstanding judgment against Egypt consisting of a 40 year period of
desolation. Biblical records don't show the Lord ever executing this
judgment, and it's not likely to happen before the 2nd Coming. That
leaves the Millennium as the most likely time of fulfillment. Zechariah 14:16-19 is clearly Millennial in its focus and Isaiah 19:22 appears to be as well.
But
at the end of the 40 years, the Lord will gather the Egyptians and
bring them back. The judgment will have cured them of their rebellion
and they will never again attempt to think of themselves as better than
other nations. After that they will enjoy peace with the Lord.
In
that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians
will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and
Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third,
along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The LORD Almighty
will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my
handiwork, and Israel my inheritance." (Isaiah 19:23-25)
In Summary
So
it appears that after Egypt has been brought back into the fold of the
Lord's people on Earth, Egypt and Assyria will join Israel as God's
favored people. By the way, don't confuse Assyria with modern day Syria.
Assyria was much larger, encompassing nearly all of the Fertile
Crescent from the Persian Gulf in the East around the Arabian Desert and
down the Mediterranean coast to the Nile region in the West.
All
this indicates that Egypt is in for a rough time over the next few
years. Having come to the Lord in the final days of the Great
Tribulation, Egypt will struggle and be disciplined at the outset of the
Millennium, but will survive to be known as God's people, alongside
Assyria His handiwork, and Israel His inheritance. You can almost hear
the footsteps of the Messiah.
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