As riots continue, many Egyptians believe their president has hijacked the government and become a modern-day Pharaoh. How might these events affect our world?
Two years ago rioters successfully toppled the former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and the riots ceased for a while. But the riots have started again, this time against Egypt’s new President Mohamed Morsi, who has declared martial law and made his decrees immune to oversight by the courts during the transition.
With the recent string of events, many wonder if Morsi has a hidden agenda.
The Muslim Brotherhood
President Morsi is a leader in the Muslim Brotherhood. This organization was founded in 1928 by cleric Hassan al-Banna.
According to the Jewish Virtual Library, al-Banna was an admirer of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. In the 1930s the Brotherhood got involved in political issues. A Muslim Brother assassinated the Egyptian prime minister in 1948, and al-Banna was killed in Cairo by government officials in 1949.
The Brotherhood was angered when President Anwar Sadat signed the peace treaty with Israel in 1979. The attackers who killed Sadat in 1981 were associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood has also been hostile toward Western ideals and the Jews. In 2012 Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie said, “Every Muslim must act to save Jerusalem from the usurpers and to [liberate] Palestine from the claws of occupation. This is a personal duty for all Muslims. They must participate in jihad by [donating] money or [sacrificing] their life” (Jewish Virtual Library).
Dr. Rashad Bayoumi, the deputy head of the Brotherhood, reportedly told the London based Al-Hayat newspaper, “We will not recognize Israel under any circumstances; we are talking about an occupation entity and a criminal enemy. … There is no condition that obligates the movement to recognize Israel” (Haaretz).
President Morsi also made disparaging remarks in a 2010 video about Zionists being “bloodsuckers” and “descendants of apes and pigs.” He said Egyptians need to nurse their children on hatred toward them (Daily Mail).
Yet when the Muslim Brotherhood won the presidency, they said they would not damage the relationship between Egypt and Israel.
Egyptian leadership merely using other nations?
The White House said the comments made by Morsi were “deeply offensive.” The Egyptian leadership then backpedaled and said Morsi’s comments about the Jews were taken out of context.
Egypt needs the United States to help its struggling economy. A recent U.S. delegation is asking Congress to extend a $480 million assistance package to Egypt. This is in addition to the annual $250 million in economic aid and the $1.3 billion in military assistance the United States has been giving Egypt since the 1979 peace treaty. This includes fighter jets that make the Egyptian air force a significant power in the Middle East—four of 20 more were delivered just last week (Foxnews.com).
On Jan. 13 president of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy announced that the EU had offered Egypt $6.7 billion to help its ailing economy and short-term democratic transition.
Of course, Morsi praised the EU’s support, saying, “I assure you that we are fully committed to building a constitutional Egyptian state; a country of institutions; the civil state we all dream of.” He added that upcoming parliamentary elections would mark the “final step” in the building of the state (Egypt.com).
But considering the Muslim Brotherhood’s views, one must wonder about this civil state they dream of and what the “final step” really is.
When Morsi declared his decrees immune to oversight by the courts, his presidential spokesman Yasser Ali said to those protesting, “There is no turning back, the decree is staying and those not willing to reach a point of stability will be held accountable to God and history” (JewishJournal.com).
What God says
The main reason the United States gives aid to Egypt is to try to protect its and Israel’s interests. But God does not speak favorably about doing this. God calls it spiritual adultery—hiring “lovers” (Ezekiel 16:33; Hosea 8:9).
It is spiritual adultery because our nations should be looking to God, not trying to buy friendships from hostile nations. As we have repeatedly discussed in this News and Prophecy Blog, both the United States and Israel are descendants of the ancient 12 tribes of Israel.
God says that Israel of old “committed harlotry with the Egyptians … and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke Me to anger” (Ezekiel 16:26). This trusting in others rather than God has been an ongoing problem throughout the centuries—continuing even in the end time by those bearing the name of “Israel” in Bible prophecy today (Genesis 48:16; 49:1).
God says that our national “lovers”—including Egypt—will turn against us (Ezekiel 16:27-30, 35-40). Shockingly, because of modern Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, many will end up as slaves in Egypt (Deuteronomy 28:68; Isaiah 11:11).
Egypt in prophecy
Anciently and biblically, the Ptolemaic lineage that ruled in Egypt after Alexander the Great’s death was considered to be the “king of the South.” This understanding is supported by the historical details of that period that coincide with the extensive prophecy of Daniel 11. Will Egypt again be instrumental in being a modern “king of the South”? Only time will tell. However, Bible prophecy does indicate that this “king of the South” will agitate the “king of the North”—the leader of a 10-nation European power (based on other Bible prophecies). When this happens, the king of the North will come down and defeat the king of the South’s countries, including Egypt (Daniel 11:40-43).
The upheaval that continues in the Middle East is setting the stage for future events that will affect the entire world. And once these events start, it will take the return of Jesus Christ to save the world!
Read more about what will happen and why and what you should do in our section on the “Middle East in Bible Prophecy.” And continue watching events in the Middle East and Europe!
Date Posted: January 31, 2013
About the Author
Tim Groves
Tim Groves attends the Jefferson, Georgia, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, where he serves as a deacon.
He has been married to his wife, Teresa, for over 30 years. Together, they have two daughters and two sons and live in South Carolina. They moved there from Ohio in 1997 to flee the cold northern winters and allow him to do the things he really enjoys, like roaming though automobile junkyards looking for hidden treasures from times long past.
by Tim Groves
