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A Prophetic Mini-Study
Egypt: Fire and Flood
By Gary Stearman
Lately, Egypt has been relatively quiet.
After lying in the background of Middle
East affairs for the last three decades, it
has almost been forgotten that Egypt was
dominant in both the Six-Day and Yom
Kippur Wars.
In fact, from the beginning, Egypt was
bent upon Israel’s complete destruction.
In the 1950s, Egypt’s Nasser had combined
forces with Jordan, enlisting fedayeen fight-
ers. By 1956, their raids into southern Israel,
and his closing the Suez canal to Israeli
shipping, led to an Israeli counterattack,
and victory.
Even though Egypt was beaten back
for the time being, Israel continued to be Aswan has two dams. The British built the low dam (seen above under construction)
treated as the aggressor. In the ten years from 1899-1902. When it almost overflowed in 1946, Egypt decided to construct a
that followed, Egypt rearmed, waiting for second, more elaborate dam nearby.
the right time to attack again. On May 15,
1967, the anniversary date of Israel’s state-
hood, Egyptian forces invaded the Sinai.
The radio Voice of the Arabs announced,
“The sole method we shall apply against
Israel is a total war which will result in the
extermination of Zionist existence.”
Other Arab states echoed these senti-
ments. But in a miraculous series of defense
maneuvers, Israel defeated Egypt in six
short days. Their defeat was stunning, but
still, Egypt’s desire to wipe out Israel was
not dampened. Six years later, in October
of 1973, Egypt and Syria opened a coor-
dinated, two-pronged surprise attack upon
Israel. It was deliberately planned to fall on
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The
attack came at a time when all Israel was
shut down for a period of fasting and prayer.
But once again, Israel brilliantly counterat-
tacked, driving back the invaders.
As had happened so many times before,
a truce was called. This led to a series of
talks that finally brought Jimmy Carter,
The Aswan High Dam (as seen from above) was built with the help of Russia.
Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Men-
Construction began in 1960 and was completed in 1970. This dam regulates the
achem Begin together. On March 26, 1979,
water of the Nile River and produces electricity for the nation.
an Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty was signed in
Washington, D.C. recently abandoned area of Gaza. This leads cies. As we shall see, they are related. But
In the quarter-century that has followed, us to ask, What will be Egypt’s role in the they evoke a mystery. They suggest that
Egypt has held its forces in reluctant abey- great upcoming battle surrounding Israel? Egypt will soon experience a massive dev-
ance. Still, it often supplies Israel’s enemies astation that is unique to its geography. And
with weapons. It has aided Fatah, Hamas,
The Mystery of Egypt apparently, for reasons that shall become
and the PLO. Currently, it is quietly sup- With the foregoing in mind, it is interest- clear, this event will predate Gog’s lightning
porting Hamas, which has occupied the ing to examine two distinct biblical prophe- assault upon Israel.
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We have written at some length about the are desolate, and her cities among the cit- LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the
first of the two prophecies, found in Ezekiel ies that are laid waste shall be desolate time of the heathen.
29. As it begins, it seems to be directed forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians “And the sword shall come upon Egypt,
toward a specific Pharaoh, perhaps the one among the nations, and will disperse them and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when
on the throne at the time Ezekiel wrote through the countries” (Ezek. 29:1-12). the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall
his prophecy. But as one reads carefully, In the past, we have written at length con- take away her multitude, and her founda-
it becomes clear that “Pharaoh” is really cerning this prophecy. In this mini-study, tions shall be broken down.
a general title given to the evil spirit of we can only briefly review a few facts. First, “Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all
Egypt. It is quite easy to see this, since this Egypt is geographically unique. The Nile is the mingled people, and Chub, and the men
particular “Pharaoh” is a dragon who lives its very existence. For centuries, its annual of the land that is in league, shall fall with
in the Nile River. In the verses that follow, flood cycle fertilized the land, linking its them by the sword.
the dragon professes ownership of the Nile, agricultural base with a profitable fishing “Thus saith the LORD; They also that
even boasting that he has created it. His ar- industry. In other words, God blessed this uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of
rogance is about to be challenged: land with a life-giving river. her power shall come down: from the tower
“In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in In the last few decades, this arrangement of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword,
the twelfth day of the month, the word of the has radically changed. In 1970, Russian saith the Lord GOD.
LORD came unto me, saying, engineers completed the final phase of the “And they shall be desolate in the midst
“Son of man, set thy face against Pha- Aswan High Dam. It is huge, measuring of the countries that are desolate, and her
raoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against 360 feet in height, 10,200 feet (almost two cities shall be in the midst of the cities that
him, and against all Egypt: miles) long and 3,200 feet wide at the base. are wasted.
“Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord Behind it, is the vast Lake Nasser, and the “And they shall know that I am the
GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh waters of the Nile that back up into Ethio- LORD, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and
king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth pia. Its dimensions are so massive that it is when all her helpers shall be destroyed”
in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, considered indestructible. Saboteurs using (Ezek. 30:1-8).
My river is mine own, and I have made it ordinary explosives couldn’t make a dent. The language of this prophecy is unmis-
for myself. However, experts have said that one or two takable. A storm is gathering; the “day of
“But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I well-placed nuclear bombs could blow it the Lord” is approaching. Note that not
will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto wide open. just Egypt, but all of northeast Africa is
thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of In Ezekiel’s day, Aswan (biblical Syene) involved. Today, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan,
the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy was a small village, some 550 miles south Chad and Libya constitute a seething caul-
rivers shall stick unto thy scales. of the Great Pyramid, on the bank of the dron of Islamic terrorism. These countries
“And I will leave thee thrown into the wil- first cataract of the Nile. It was considered surround Egypt, which is, itself, a seat of
derness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: the southernmost extent of Egypt. When Islamic power. In spite of an intervening
thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou Ezekiel wrote this prophecy, there was no peace treaty, it has never deviated from its
shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: “tower” there. Today, of course, there is the desire to eradicate Israel.
I have given thee for meat to the beasts of towering High Dam, which this prophecy In the prophecy above, Ezekiel states that
the field and to the fowls of the heaven. indirectly names as the source of the great all these countries will suffer judgment …
“And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall flood that will ravage Egypt. including “Lydia,” representing modern
know that I am the LORD, because they Ezekiel mentions a structure that didn’t Turkey. But the most devastating judgment
have been a staff of reed to the house of exist until 1970, saying that it will break, of all is reserved for Egypt. Once again, the
Israel. allowing flood waters to surge almost six prophecy evokes the imagery of the “tower
“When they took hold of thee by thy hundred miles to the north, where they of Syene,” which we have pointed out as the
hand, thou didst break, and rend all their would empty into the Mediterranean Sea. If Aswan High Dam. It seems to be central to
shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, nuclear weapons are used to accomplish this all the judgments mentioned here. Egypt’s
thou brakest, and madest all their loins to catastrophe, the resulting flood would cover Islamic allies will suffer greatly when the
be at a stand. all Egypt with nuclear waste. As we have Lord sets His fire in the land of Egypt. It is
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; mentioned in the past, this would account clear that this fire is the instrument that will
Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and for the virtual abandonment of the country unleash the trillions of gallons of radioac-
cut off man and beast out of thee. for the forty-year period mentioned by Eze- tive water that washes across Egypt.
“And the land of Egypt shall be desolate kiel. This has never before happened. Many students of Bible prophecy have
and waste; and they shall know that I am asked why Egypt is not listed among the
the LORD: because he hath said, The river Fire Falls Upon Syene allies that come against Israel in the great
is mine, and I have made it. Naturally, when we read about the hor- invasion described in Ezekiel 38. Certainly,
“Behold, therefore I am against thee, and rific event mentioned above, our first ques- Russia is represented, along with Persia and
against thy rivers, and I will make the land tion is: When does this prophecy take place? some of the countries of North Africa. Na-
of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from In the following chapter of his prophecy, tions from parts of Europe and Asia are also
the tower of Syene even unto the border Ezekiel answers this question, too. represented, but Egypt is not among them.
of Ethiopia. “The word of the LORD came again unto Under today’s geopolitical circumstances,
“No foot of man shall pass through it, nor me, saying, Egypt would be at the head of the line in
foot of beast shall pass through it, neither “ Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus support of such an invasion, as it has been
shall it be inhabited forty years. saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth in the past. We must conclude that by the
“And I will make the land of Egypt the day time Gog launches its lightning invasion,
desolate in the midst of the countries that “For the day is near, even the day of the Egypt has already been destroyed. u
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