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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Where does Africa fit in Bible prophecy?

Is Africa under a curse? How will end-time prophecies affect the peoples of Africa?

The Bible is, in the main, a book about physical Israel, as well as spiritual Israel, that is, the Church of God (Galatians 6:16). Therefore, Scripture doesn't mention most other nations, except as they cross paths with Israel. God chose to use Israel to model His way of life, not to exclude other nations, but rather as a means of bringing all peoples to His way of life and His generous blessings.

Many end-time prophecies deal with terrible challenges of a worldwide scope, including Africa. Given the present condition of many African nations, one wonders if the fires of end-time disasters have already been ignited. God will send some terrible plagues just before Christ returns. But the world will suffer a great deal before that from disasters mankind brings on itself through sin.

Because it seems that most nations on the African continent have suffered unduly in past decades, some speculate that God placed a curse upon them. But people forget that there were prosperous black empires in ages past and that most of the continent prospered when it was part of the British Empire. A major cause of the current despair is the dictatorial rule of a few people who have enriched themselves instead of caring for their citizens. Additional problems, especially sexually transmitted diseases, can be traced to deeply entrenched customs that block needed education.

It would be difficult to overstate the damage these two factors alone have inflicted on the continent. These causes bring curses, not from God, but rather from man himself.

There are more specific references to northern Africa in conjunction with end-time prophecies about the Middle East, which principally appear to pertain to that region's Muslim population. We believe that the prophecies of the "king of the South" probably refer to an Islamic confederacy at the end of the age (Daniel 11). Our booklet The Middle East in Bible Prophecy outlines what the Bible foretells on this subject.

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