Biblical Audio Commentary – Egypt’s Imminent Downfall for Cursing Israel

Biblical Audio Commentary – Egypt’s Imminent Downfall for Cursing Israel

Transcript:

Israel has a long and storied connection to Egypt.  We know the big one from the Old Testament.  The most famous revolves around the patriarchs.  Because of the jealousy of his brothers, Joseph gets sent to Egypt where he rises to prominence.  A major famine in the region brings his entire family down there during the reign of the one Pharaoh, and all goes well.  But time passes, another Pharaoh rises, and the fear of this growing horde of the people of Israel causes the Egyptians to subject them to slave labor.  Moses then delivers God’s people from this fiery furnace.

If you think about it, this is more or less the template of the relations between these two nations.  Egypt is a friend of sorts during some periods, while in other eras not so much.

Soon after the birth of Jesus, Joseph fled to Egypt for safety after being warned of danger by an angel in a dream.  Later, another dream caused Joseph to return to Israel since the trouble had passed at the death of Herod.

Back and forth.  Friend and foe.  Israel flees to Egypt and leaves.  Sometimes it’s on good terms, at others it’s not.  The bottom line is that there is a complex relationship in play between these neighboring nations.

Why would our current times be any different?

In the 1967 Six Days War, Israel gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, which is a major region separating Israel and Egypt.  Subsequently a peace treaty was enacted between Israel and Egypt in 1979 whereby Israel – contrary to God’s Word as to the land He gave them – gave the Sinai back to Egypt.  This treaty set forth significant ground rules between the nations.  Of great importance is Article III 2, which states:

“Each Party undertakes to ensure that acts or threats of belligerency, hostility, or violence do not originate from and are not committed from within its territory, or by any forces subject to its control or by any other forces stationed on its territory, against the population, citizens or property of the other Party. Each Party also undertakes to refrain from organizing, instigating, inciting, assisting or participating in acts or threats of belligerency, hostility, subversion or violence against the other Party, anywhere, and undertakes to ensure that perpetrators of such acts are brought to justice.”

In other words, very simply, neither party can participate in any hostile acts toward the other.  However, upon the IDF invasion of the Egyptian border city of Rafah in Gaza, so as to eradicate Hamas because of the October 7 atrocities, numerous terror tunnels were discovered linking Gaza with Egypt.  It has also been proven that oversight of these tunnels was under the direction of Egyptian president el-Sisi’s son.  Many of these tunnels are large enough to drive semi-tractor-trailers through.  It is very clear that the resupply of armaments for Hamas has come through these tunnels, as well as providing the means for Hamas leaders to come and go at will.  There is also no doubt that without Egyptian knowledge and assistance, these tunnels could not have operated in this manner.

As Peyton Chapman with The Israel Guys writes:

This means that by allowing operational Hamas terror tunnels between Gaza and Egypt, Egypt has intentionally broken the peace treaty with Israel by assisting Hamas in Gaza. This calls into question what else may have been broken from the peace treaty. Not only could it destroy the public facade of peace between Israel and Egypt, but one of the main stipulations of the peace treaty was that Israel would hand over the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in exchange for complete security in the region. If the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel becomes publicly broken, the implications could be world changing. 

I’ve noted for some time that the treaty between Israel and Egypt is fragile.  This discovery and use of these tunnels heightens the potential for conflict.

Another aspect of the growing animosity between Israel and Egypt plays right into this situation.  When the Muslim Brotherhood came to power in Egypt in the Arab Spring some years back, it was ultimately el-Sisi who became president by contesting with the Brotherhood and driving them from control of the government.  From that point on el-Sisi was friendly to Israel.

One other aspect of the 1979 treaty was that the Sinai Peninsula was to be de-militarized so as to reduce any frictions between the nations.  Because of the presumed friendliness of el-Sisi, Israel allowed Egypt to re-arm the Sinai in contradiction to the treaty requirements.  Israel thought it had nothing to worry about.  Let me just say here that it is inevitably the Left in Israel and American pressure that brings about these kinds of assurances and subsequent negative results.

What should be to no one’s surprise, the Muslim Brotherhood has made a resurgence in Egypt.  Although el-Sisi was against the Brotherhood in the past, he has obviously changed his tune.  Note that the Muslim Brotherhood is aligned with Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah.  Egypt as stated has been complicit with Hamas to re-arm it through the terror tunnels.  Correlation proves causation in this case.  Egypt at the highest levels of government is now working with the Muslim Brotherhood.

This is one more data point that indicates the Psalm 83 War will soon become a reality.  I’ve said that the Muslim Brotherhood is strong in Jordan and just waiting for it’s time to strike.  Now we have Egypt under the thrall of the Brotherhood with a treaty that’s been shredded AND with the Sinai Peninsula – right on Israel’s border – weaponized.  That’s not a good combination.

God has not been silent over the years concerning Egypt.  We see a number of prophecies in the Old Testament where God expresses His anger toward Egypt, and the consequences for their actions against Him and His people.

A key future prophecy is contained in Isaiah 19 that may very well comport with Psalm 83.  Consider Isaiah 19:16-22:

16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the Lord of hosts shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the Lord of hosts has purposed against them.

 18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.

 19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.

With a powerful prophecy like this, it’s an intriguing exercise to potentially determine when this might happen.  Briefly, let’s think about this.

• Early in the Tribulation
  • It’s hard to visualize this possibility. Something causes Israel to agree to a heightened covenant agreement.  There’s nothing happening at this point that seems to indicate a major operation against Egypt that would cause the reaction stated in the prophecy.
• At the end of the Tribulation
  • For 3 1/2 years, Israel will have been under extreme persecution from Antichrist. There’s no way Israel will come against Egypt like this during that time.
• Early in the Millennium
  • The acquisition of the five Egyptian cities certainly would point toward this being part of the political landscape at that point. However, what is it that brings about this result?  There will certainly be no conflict early on in the Millennium that would cause this.
• Resulting from the Gog-Magog War
  • As has been discussed many times, the Gog-Magog conflict occurs with nations outside of the immediate orbit of Israel. Neighboring nations aren’t included in the list of hostile entities that come against Israel, so there’s no reason to believe this prophecy is an outcome from this war.
• Resulting from the Psalm 83 War
  • This is where my fiat money lies, if I were a betting man. Egypt is noted as a conspirator in Psalm 83:5-6:

For they conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant—
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,

 The Hagrites, or Hagarenes in some translations, are representative of Egypt.  Remember Hagar who birthed Ishmael was an Egyptian slave girl.  This is the beginning of the antipathy between Ismael’s descendants, i.e. Arabs/Muslims, and the Jewish people as the progeny of Abraham.

My thinking for a long time has been that through Psalm 83 fulfillment, Israel acquires expanded territory from the many hostile nations that come against her in their accord.  It’s no stretch to see Israel reacquiring the Sinai with those five cities in which the remaining Egyptians then turn to the God of Israel.

What is surely a Millennial aspect of the Isaiah prophecy are the final verses in Isaiah 19:23-25:

23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

 24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

Egypt has a bright future, but only following an extremely distressing time of conflict with Israel.  After all, when any nation or person curse Israel per the Genesis 12:3 blessing and cursing Word from God, there are consequences.  Egypt must pay the price for its actions that hurt God’s Chosen People.

The bottom line is that something is coming soon from Israel that will impact Egypt.  God will not tolerate continued hostility against His people.  Egypt siding with Hamas to the detriment of Israel will come back to bite them.  It appears that the only reasonable explanation for the fulfillment of the Isaiah 19 prophecy is through the Psalm 83 War.  If anyone has any other realistic scenarios, I’m all ears.  Otherwise, I can’t see any other conclusion to the current Israel-Hamas War other than it becoming the broader Psalm 83 War, with disastrous consequences for all of Israel’s hostile neighbors that border her and desire her destruction.

As always, keep an eye on Israel as God’s prophetic alarm clock.  It’s ticking away, and the bell will soon ring.