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Egypt
Israel's
Enemy to the South
“So
I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians; and they will each fight
against his brother and each against his neighbor, city against city and
kingdom against kingdom.” (Isaiah
19:2).
The
prophet Daniel's
final and lengthiest vision, spanning three full
chapters, is found in Daniel chapters 10, 11 and 12. The future end-time fulfillment
of Daniel's full-length vision is announced right in the passage itself: Daniel
10:14 says, "Now
I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the
latter days: for yet the vision is for many days."
Daniel
and his companions were standing on the bank of the Tigris River around
535 B.C. The prophet had been fasting for three weeks (vs.
1-4), and then he saw the Man clothed in linen, whose majestic
appearance caused Daniel to faint in fear. Chapter 10 then addresses
the collision between good and evil angels--encounters that will no doubt
become more prevalent during the last days. When righteous angels,
under the guidance of Michael, the Prince of the Host, move in the affairs
of men and travel throughout the earth, they encounter resistance from the
demonic forces. Sometimes only the Prince and Priest, the Man in
linen, can demand compliance and push on through the trouble spot.
The
forty-five verses that comprise chapter 11 portray the ongoing struggle
between political leaders of the north and the south. Commentators have applied
most of chapter 11 to historical events, jumping from century to century
across the span of time to find points of fulfillment. The meaning
and fulfillment of this chapter has produced many interpretations.
Therefore, the king of
the north has been assigned to various powers over the centuries--Syria, Turkey, Russia and
Europe, to name a few. However, after many years of consideration,
it is our view that this chapter is completely to be fulfilled as modern
end-time events--the latter days; and it is believed the entire chapter portrays
conflicts between two
adjoining nations--Egypt, the king of the south and Israel, the king of
the north.
Daniel's prophecy
predicts internal strife in Egypt (11:5), as does
the prophet Israel in chapter 19, verse 2, with a turnover of power to a
strong military commander. In recent times, Egypt has undergone significant sea
changes in policies and leadership, and currently a former Chief of Egypt's Armed
Forces--Abdel
Fattah el-Sisi is in power. Sisi played the leading role in ousting
President Mohammed
Morsi after an uprising
against him in 2013. He seems to be on the path of continued good terms
with Israel (v.
6). However, prophecy predicts there will continue to be an
internal struggle in Egypt for control of that nation as final events
begin to unfold, leading to more change-over of power and the eventual dismissal of the Camp David Accords between Egypt
and Israel, with the renewal of military strife between Egypt and Israel.
"But from
a branch of her [Egyptian] roots one shall arise [new dictatorial Egyptian
leader, more radical in his views against the state of Israel] in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of
the king of the North [Israel], and deal with them and prevail. And he
shall also carry their gods [religious/precious articles] captive to Egypt, with
their princes and their precious
articles of silver and gold [spoil]; and he [Egypt's new leader] shall
continue more years than the king of the North [Israel's leader at
that point--possibly Netanyahu]," Daniel
11:7.
With the exception of the Mediterranean Sea to
the west, Israel
is now surrounded by Jihadists. This produces a near total
Iranian hegemony over the region. The last days will bring with it prophetic events that will forever change the landscape
of the Temple Mount and Jerusalem, launching widespread Islamic hatred
against Israel from surrounding countries, and with it a massive
assault against Israel.
In
turn, Egypt and Israel will clash. Egypt will undergo tremendous
upheaval during the last days. As already stated, this is found in Isaiah
19. The prophet proclaims, "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.
Egypt as a
place, and as a nation, is one of the most frequently mentioned national
names in the Bible. From the time when Abram went down to Egypt in a
famine, to baby Jesus' flight to Egypt, it spans Genesis, the Gospels and
all the way into the book of Revelation. It is full of meaning, but not
always the same symbolism. Egypt became a byword among the Israelites, and
its prominent place in Scripture is not easy to ignore.
Egypt was a
place of great importance in the Bible, and influenced the Israelites. In
the beginning it was simply a place with lots of food, where they could
rest in comfort while waiting for God to prepare the promised land for
them, but it grew into a place of captivity and oppression. God turned it
into a sign of His faithfulness to His people, when He led them out of
Egypt, but it remained a stumbling block for them, as they remembered the
food and good things of Egypt.
As the
end-time moves into its beginning stages, events in Egypt will come into
focus. Civil strife between Egyptians will escalate, and internal turmoil
will cause additional changes in Egypt's leadership. Egypt's peace accord
with the Israelis will dissolve, as their enemy to the south will rise up
against the king of the north (Israel)--the epicenter of Bible prophecy. Daniel 11 continues to
reveal various skirmishes between the king of the south (Egypt) and the king
of the north during the appointed times of the end.
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DISCLAIMER: The articles below are from various new sources. The views
expressed often DO NOT represent those of
this
ministry.
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