EGYPT

But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt … and the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea … and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

—Dan. 11:43; Isa. 11:15; 19:5

1352 Egypt’s Importance

Egypt is located at the southern end of the “land bridge” connecting the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. The value of this piece of real estate in the Middle East has been proved by centuries of fighting.

Egypt was powerful and splendid in ancient times. But from the 6th century BC onwards, the splendor and might of Egypt dwindled to a shadow. In fact, there are few stronger contrasts in any inhabited country than that of the ancient glory, dignity, power and wealth of Egypt and its later insignificance.

But prophecy tells us that Egypt will again be “rich” at the end times. This would attract the south-ward invasion of the King of the North (see ARAB-RUSSIAN POLITICS ). Two news items may further elucidate:

1353 Mineral Riches Under Sinai

Scientists searching the Sinai Peninsula in the five years since Israel captured it from Egypt have found signs of copper, tungsten, and feldspar deposits under the shifting sands of the desert. Tungsten is an expensive rare metal used for hardening steel and other high-grade metals. These ores are part of the spoils that Gog and Magog will try to wrench from the Middle East (See Ezekiel 38:12).

—Pastor’s Manual

1354 Oil In Egypt

Existence of a huge oil basin extending from Libya’s Sirte Basin to Suez Gulf is upsetting the old belief of existence of a separating belt between Libya and Egypt’s Western Desert. Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. sources said that the studies open prospects for “vast oil reserves in Western Desert area.”

Researchers took into account all previous geological and seismological studies of the area in drawing their conclusion. They divide Egypt into three main oil basins: (1) the northern basin extending from Libya’s Sirte Basin in west to north Sinai in east, including northern part of Western Desert and Nile Delta; (2) southern basin extending from Coufir Basin in Libya covering Nile valley, southern part of both Western and Eastern deserts; (3) the basin comprising both coasts of Suez Gulf and extending south to the Red Sea.

1355 “Tongue Of The Red Sea”

The “tongue of the Red Sea” would have to be the Suez Canal. Dr. Taylor in Jesus is Coming explains:

“For centuries the Red Sea was used for navigation. Pharaoh-Necho (609–594 BC) built a 50-mile canal from the Nile to the Red Sea and he sailed boats around the southern tip of Africa. That canal only lasted a few years and now is filled with sand.

“The Suez Canal, linking the Red Sea with the Mediterranean is 103 miles long. It was began April 25, 1859, and completed by the French in 1869. The British bought it in 1875 and controlled its use until June 23, 1956. On June 26 Pres. Nasser nationalized the canal, paying the Universal Canal stockholders $64,400,000. (For the year ending June 30, 1966, the revenue from Suez Canal was $197 million for passage of 20,285 ships).

“Then Suez Canal was closed by order of Nasser at the height of 6-day war of June 5–11, 1967. It will become a target for destruction at the final war! !”

1356 Drying Up Nile River

The prophecy about the drying up of the “river” concerns that of the Nile River, the longest river in the world.

The Nile has never been dry in history, but now the Aswan High Dam—one of the world’s largest dams—has actually made Isaiah’s prophecy potentially possible. The dam has a water-storage capacity of nearly 56,000 cubic yards, and Lake Nasser backs up 2509 miles behind it. If the waters were suddenly unleashed, nearly all Egyptians would drown because 95% live along the Nile and its delta. However, with its floodgates all closed, the Aswan High Dam can easily dry up the Nile.

Another possibility: The Nile has a unique peculiarity. While most rivers have tributaries of other smaller streams which replenish the waters, the Nile has no tributaries—no streams flow into it after it reaches the border of Ethiopia. The main sources of the Nile are in two lakes: Lake Victoria in Africa and Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It would require only a simple engineering feat perhaps at these two sources to dry up the Nile River.

1357 Sadat’s Trip To Jerusalem

By the end of November 1977, the politics and problems ever pervasive in the Middle East were dramatically transformed. It was the unprecedented journey which Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat took to Jerusalem. Egypt’s Sadat and Israel’s Premier Menachem Begin met face-to-face for talks.

Sadat’s “sacred mission” to Israel was the first time ever for an Arab head of state to visit Israel, both countries being technically still at war.

Dr. Tim LaHaye, in 1972, made this Bible-based projection: “Egypt, a prominent ally of Russia today, is not listed in (Ezek. 38, 39) … Egypt has been a chief antagonist of Israel and is designated for future judgments. It is most unlikely, if she were to be included in the coming invasion (of Israel), that the prophet would not have mentioned her by name. We can probably look for a disenchantment between Egypt and Russia.” And so it has happened!

See also: Arab-African Bloc.