What Next for Egypt?

Egypt, an important nation in Bible history, is in chaos. This could be an important step in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

I have traveled in Egypt several times, exploring the pyramids, the sphinx, the temples at Karnak and Luxor, as well as museums containing riches from the reigns of such pharaohs as Tutankhamen and Ramses II. Navigating down the Nile from Aswân, I descended deep into the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. These impressive sites give a better understanding of the greatness of ancient Egypt, which was ruled by Joseph, which was the birthplace and home of Moses, and which served as a place of refuge for Abraham and Jesus. Egypt also enslaved and oppressed the Israelites for hundreds of years before God delivered them by the hand of Moses.

It has been my experience that the people of modern Egypt are hospitable and kind, generally well educated and industrious. But there is also a darker side.

Egypt in chaos

Since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, Egypt has been governed under state of emergency law, allowing Presidents Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak to rule with dictatorial powers, curbing opposition political parties and freedom of the press and jailing political opponents. In exchange, Egypt has been one of the more stable nations in the Arab world, tolerant to many Western values.

But now, resentful of this autocratic rule and a lack of economic development that deprives them of any hope of improving their lives, many Egyptians are joining mass demonstrations in Cairo and elsewhere that are exploding with calls for Mubarak’s departure. Crowds are braving curfews to continue shouting their demands.

Mohammed ElBaradei, an EgyptianMuslim who is the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, recently returned to Egypt to join the protestors. Having received the backing of the Muslim Brotherhood as an opposition leader, ElBaradei is calling for Mubarak’s resignation and the installation of a democratic government. It is important to note, however, that the ultimate goal of the Muslim Brotherhoodis very different.

The Muslim Brotherhood

The Muslim Brotherhood is an influential opposition political organization that began in Egypt and now exists throughout the Arab world. While the Muslim Brotherhood claims to have rejected violence as a means of achieving its ends, many observers dispute this. What is certain is that the Muslim Brotherhood’s ultimate goal is the reestablishment of a caliph under whom the entire Muslim world would be united under Islamic law. A caliph is a physical descendant of the prophet Muhammad and the spiritual and temporal ruler of the whole Muslim world. The establishment of such a caliph would mean Muslims everywhere would owe obedience to one political-military ruler.

The “king of the South”

Daniel chapter 11 contains a prophecy covering at least 2,500 years of political and military history concerning the Holy Land. Revealed to Daniel around 538 B.C., this chapter covers events up until just before the return of Jesus Christ, revealing events in terms of leaders of governments to the north and south of Israel.

Daniel 11:40-41 states: “At the time of the end the king of the South [from the Muslim areas south of Israel] shall attack him; and the king of the North [from Europe] shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown.”

Verse 42 continues, “He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.”

Notice this about the king of the South:

• This leader will be hostile to Christian Europe.
• He will have both the will and the weapons to strike Europe.
• His strike will hurt Europe enough that the king of the North will respond with overwhelming force.
• Egypt is specifically mentioned as a nation that will not escape this retaliation.
• This will happen in the “time of the end” just before the return of Christ (Daniel 12:1-3).

Considerations about militant Islam:

• Militant Islamic movements rising throughout the world desire the restoration of the caliphate.
• There is increasing friction between Islamic militants and the Western democracies, including in Europe where a growing number of Muslims want the implementation of Islamic law.
• Pakistan, a hard-line Muslim nation, has a rapidly growing arsenal of nuclear weapons and ICBM missiles capable of delivering them, which could constitute a threat Europe.

The installation of a new Egyptian government backed by the Muslim Brotherhood—even a democratic one—would require special scrutiny. If a caliphate were eventually restored, it would set the stage for major confrontation between the Islamic world and the West. This would almost certainly indicate another step forward in the prophetic events revealed to precede the return of Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on the earth.