Egypt in Bible Prophecy

The key Middle Eastern prophecy of Daniel 11 clearly states that "the land of Egypt shall not escape" the military invasion by the king of the North (verse 42), launched in retaliation to provocation by the leader of an end-time Muslim alliance known as the king of the South (verse 40).

Currently Egypt finds itself in news headlines because of the "Arab Spring," which in Egypt brought the fall of the Mubarak government and the ascent of fundamentalist Islam. The West depends on Egyptian stability because roughly 30 percent of the world's oil passes through the Suez Canal. There are also well-founded fears that Egypt's stable relationship with the bordering state of Israel may be seriously threatened, the breakdown of which could lead to another Mideast war.

America gives about $2 billion to Cairo annually, mostly in military aid—though that is in jeopardy now with Islamists set to gain considerable control of the next Egyptian government. And another key question is who will ultimately gain control of the high-tech U.S. armaments already in Egypt, including many advanced tanks and jet fighters? Will they fall into the hands of a future regime hostile to the West, the United States and Israel in particular?

Thankfully, whatever may lie ahead during this age of human misrule, in the end the Egyptians are going to experience a brilliant future following the second coming of Jesus Christ. They may have some hard lessons to learn at the beginning of Christ's 1,000-year reign (see Zechariah 14:18-19

), but the Hebrew prophet Isaiah shows that ultimately all will be well.

Isaiah says of that time, "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" (Isaiah 19:19
). Then he goes on to explain what caused this to happen: "For they [the Egyptians] will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One to deliver them. Then the Lord will be known in Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day" (verses 20-21). Indeed this will be a time when all nations and peoples will know the true God "from the least of them to the greatest of them" (Jeremiah 31:34
).

Then "there will be a highway from Egypt to [Egypt's ancient enemy] Assyria . . . and the Egyptians will serve [God] with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, ‘Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance'" (Isaiah 19:23-25


). All nations will finally be at peace with one another.

Today's news reports tell us that the adherents of Coptic Christianity in Egypt are suffering enormous persecution in the wake of the Arab Spring and the overthrow of the secular Egyptian government that for the most part protected their rights and safety. But in the world to come, all peoples, including the Egyptians, will flourish—as true religious worship accompanies universal peace and prosperity.