"Through thousands of years, Egypt has known many moments of transformation. The voices of the Egyptian people tell us that this is one of those moments; this is one of those times."
In my Scripture studies I found Egypt is the ancient nation, which is spoken in Hebrew as "Mitzrayim" and means “constricted.” Egypt is linked forever in history and is a key part of the prophetic future of the people God calls -- Israel.
Many of us may not understand Egypt’s future and key role in Biblical prophecy, perhaps it is because we do not know just “who” the commonwealth of people that left Egypt with Moses really are.
Today, "all Israel" both native, sojourner and stranger must know their identity because we are living in "Biblical" days, we are living out the words of prophetic Scriptures and understanding the name of Israel is part of our mission today... it is about the identity of the people God calls to Himself. “Israel” can mean “God Prevails”!
Paul told the Ephesians “gentiles”… you once were separate, excluded strangers from Messiah and the identity of none other than… the commonwealth of Israel.
“Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles… remember that you were at that time separate from Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” Ephesians 2:11-12.
God calls all people out of the burden of sin to follow Him into His Kingdom to follow Him as King under the name He chose to give Jacob for His chosen people.
God calls all that would believe Him, all that would follow after Him through the wilderness -- “Israel” -- they are both native and stranger.
Israel, as a set apart people, have a servant duty to be priests to all nations, to spread the good news of God’s plan of redemption for all mankind, and of His Kingdom.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians because he wants us to know that when the Bible speaks of “Israel” the covenants of promise point to the family re-union that occurred in Egypt. Joseph was not longer a stranger in Egypt, he was restored to his brothers.
Just as today’s news reports that the restoration of Joseph’s tomb is completed in Israel, and that Zechariah’s tomb has been discovered, it is amazing to consider that the news on Egypt’s uprising against its dictatorial government shows us how one of God’s great prophetic mysteries will work itself out:
And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother and every one against his neighbor; city against city, [and] kingdom against kingdom. Isaiah 19:2
Regarding Egypt, there are three historic and prophetic national keys. Two of these include 1) Iraq and 2) Syria. We have already seen engagement with Iraq.
Syria's future conflict is approaching and it is linked to prophetic events will follow this uprising in Egypt which may mysteriously be linked to the day President Obama closed the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. Now, Barack Hussein Obama has turned his back on Hosni Mubarak.
And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. Isaiah 19:4
Obama is living in a dream world, the problem is... it will ultimately prove to be a nightmare of epic proportions that began with his "A New Beginning speech to the Muslim world in Cairo.
What does this all mean?
It means that it is now time for you to reconsider you own place of Egypt.
Consider a prayer: Please, God, guide me as to what I should do.
It's time for you to repent and return to God's voice, return to hear and do His word and walk in the faith of His Kingdom path so that you can ready your lamp for your coming assignment.
God is a sovereign God. He has given us His Biblical prophets to warn in advance of these things. He is a loving God but a time of judgment is coming and He has provided a way to offer you His salvation. You can accept His gift of life. Consider carefully what your life consists of, look at it and repent of your sin, ask His forgiveness and accept His gift of love through Messiah Yeshua Jesus.
In my Scripture studies I found Isaiah nineteen gives prophecies of the burden of a hard ruler for Egypt following internal strife and civil unrest pitting Egyptian against Egyptian much like we see today, but there's an astonishing promise in the end.
First, Isaiah warns Egypt:
"Behold, YHVH is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the
Egyptians will melt within them.
And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and
they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor,
city against city, kingdom against kingdom; and
the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers; and
I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares YHVH God of hosts. Isaiah 19:1-4
Isaiah then promises God will deliver a blessing...
It will be a sign and a witness to YHVH of hosts in the land of Egypt.
When they cry to YHVH because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. And YHVH will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know YHVH in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to YHVH and perform them. And YHVH will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to YHVH, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.
Then Isaiah links a road that starts in Egypt to Assyria (Northern Iraq and Iran).
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom YHVH of hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance." Isaiah 19:20-25
God speaks of a highway from Egypt to Assyria and blessing with Israel. This prophecy has its origin in the Promised Land covenant given to Abraham in Genesis 15:18.
This link connects the dots between Egypt with modern day Northern Iraq, Syria and Iran and it speaks of a very old, very ancient conflicts, some that remain alive and well that are unfolding today right before our eyes, so get ready and keep your eyes wide.Egypt is Mitzrayim - the place of restriction
In the historical record we see conflict. This was noted in 2009 by Lawrence E. Stager in his Biblical Archaeology Society article "The Fury of Babylon":
"In 586 B.C.E. Nebuchadnezzar (also known as Nebuchadnezzar II), king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple and burned the city. This of course is the focal point of the Biblical story.
For Nebuchadnezzar, however, Jerusalem was only one of many prizes, part of a major military operation in the West extending over many years. The real battle was between two superpowers—the newly ascendant Babylonian Empire in the East (replacing the Assyrians) and Egypt in the West."
History cycles in the prophetic future.
Today, as in the past, none of these nations as a whole believes and follows YHVH, the God of Israel except Israel, the tiny plot of land that is surrounded by nations walk in the dark paths of Islam calling on the name of Allah, but Allah not the same as the Almighty God of Israel.
These nations are Muslim but they are not the same.
Daniel described a latter day power that is like iron that will not mix with clay. This perfectly describe the Sunni and Shia conflicts have now festered into a Syrian civil war that is destroying its people and potentially redrawing the political map of the Middle East. God showed Daniel this 1,200 years before Islam ever arrived on the world scene.
The rebels of Syria are Sunni and they war in sectarian violence against the Shiite, like iron and clay they do not mix!
Regarding Egypt, like the famine in Joseph's day, we must take note that the uprising in Egypt began with a modern day famine, a famine shown by rising unemployment throughout Egypt that is accelerating on a downward spiral just as it is declared in Isaiah 19:15: "Neither shall there be [any] work for Egypt...", and just as the Word of God says... confusion, chaos and violence has staggered Egypt.
Conflict will be unrelenting before we see the road from Egypt to Assyria just like times past as witnessed in the Bible. First conflict, then blessing.
For the past 40 years, Egypt's army has been heavily supported by a modern day Joseph called America. Behind the scenes we have been running the country... at least for now.
Egyptian elections will begin in November and run through March 2012. At that time, the enthusiasm of the common Egyptian protester may be lost as extreme Islamic radicals could take leadership positions and further destabilize the country. If so, sectarianism and persecution will prevail as the nation moves toward the oracle of Isaiah 19.
When we read God's words recorded by Isaiah, we can see God's providence is front and center in Egypt's uprisings that we have all witnessed on Fox News and CNN. We can also see that according to verse 17, that Egypt grew to see the land of Judah as a terror, a threat to Egypt.
This culminated just 44 years ago. In 1967 the IDF wiped out the Egyptian air force in a pre-emptive strike that virtually ended the Six Day War on day one.
This led to the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty that was signed following the 1978 Camp David Accords by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
Interestingly, the peace treaty was witnessed by then United States President, Jimmy Carter.
Carter's input into the agreement was that the U.S. would began to provide economic funding and military aid to Egypt. Each year since, the U.S. funding has averaged a "grant" of about $1.3 billion to the ancient land of the pyramids and Pharaoh.
Remember too, that the agreement also mandated the demilitarization of the Sinai Peninsula so chaos will likely follow there like it did when the Egyptian chariots pursued Moses.
Consider this: if Egypt's peace treaty with Israel pave's the way to Assyria what's next, a future conflict and victory like the days of Esther in the land of Haman we now call Iran?
If so, it also points us to a future blessing in Assyria:
"In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”" Isaiah 19:24-25
But, like Egypt, battles will be fought, and the result will be the same, striking and healing. Today's we will see the striking again, it will begin on the road from Egypt that passes through Israel to Iran.
What does this all mean?
I am no "prophecy expert" but I can read. These are words from Yeshua and Daniel:
"You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end." Matthew 24:6
And [as] the toes of the feet [were] part of iron, and part of clay, [so] the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, [but] it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Daniel 2:42-44
Something is up in Egypt, so Isaiah's words are well worth our study.
If you only thought Egypt was the land of the pyramids, you may have forgotten what the Prophets have said.
Egypt will play a big part as a sign and a witness in the restoration of the Kingdom. Keep in mind, Isaiah lived some 700 years after the Exodus and 700 years before Messiah yet he wrote of Egypt, so the Biblical story is not over there.
Isaiah is the prophet who was told about the coming of Yeshua as a humble man to take on mankind's penalty for sin, the often rejected storyline of Isaiah 53 and the prophet also tells us Egypt will one day be a witness in the return of the King as Savior, Defender and Deliverer much like Moses in the days of the Exodus.
Do you know of any famous landmark monuments in Egypt?
They were front and center long ago when the 12 tribes of Israel lived in tribulation there and before the Arabs destroyed their white facades by the duty of the Muslims to break them and use the stones to build their Mosques in Cairo, yet the polished white limestone likely marked the historic days of Noah, perhaps they will again.
"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. It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt.
When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them.
And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” Isaiah 19:19-25
From the days of Joseph and Israel who sojourned there to the days that that Messiah Yeshua who sojourned there in safety just as the families of of Israel were once protected in the days of famine, Egypt has always been a part of God's mysterious plan of salvation for a lost planet.
The current events in Egypt tell us, its time for all to wake up and repent and that means to do something, to return to God's covenant of living the way our Creator intended. It's time to return to hear and do His word and walk in the faith of Yeshua's Kingdom path so that you can ready your lamp for your coming assignment.
God is a sovereign God. He has given us His Biblical prophets to warn in advance of these things. He is a loving God but a time of judgment is coming and He has provided a way to offer you His salvation. You can accept His gift of life. Consider carefully what your life consists of, look at it and repent of your sin, ask His forgiveness and accept His gift of love through Messiah Yeshua.
"The Islamic State terror group killed one police officer and wounded four others in a foiled attack at St. Catherine's monastery in Sinai, Egypt, one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world.
"Had they succeeded it would have been discussed in the next 5,000 years of Church history," Johnnie Moore, founder and CEO of The KAIROS Company and human rights advocate, told The Christian Post in a statement on Tuesday.
Reuters reported that IS has taken responsibility for the attack, which occurred at a police checkpoint about 800 meters away from the entrance to the monastery."
"CAIRO -- Suicide bombers struck hours apart at two Coptic churches in northern Egypt, killing 44 people and turning Palm Sunday services into scenes of horror and outrage at the government.
It was the single deadliest day for Christians in decades and the worst since a bombing at a Cairo church in December killed 30 people.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the violence, adding to fears that extremists are shifting their focus to civilians, especially Egypt’s Christian minority."
"CAIRO – A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral killed 25 people and wounded another 49 during Sunday Mass, one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory and a grim reminder of Egypt's difficult struggle to restore security and stability after nearly six years of turmoil.
The attack came two days after a bomb elsewhere in Cairo killed six policemen, an assault claimed by a shadowy group that authorities say is linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. That group — called "Hasm," or "Decisiveness" — distanced itself from the attack in a statement issued Sunday night, saying it does not as a principle kill women, children, the elderly or worshippers.
The statement, at least in theory, leaves the extremist Islamic State group or like-minded independent militants as the chief suspects."
"Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by Islamic militants since the military in 2013 overthrew President Mohammed Morsi, a freely elected leader and a senior Muslim Brotherhood official. Many of Morsi's supporters blamed Christians for supporting the overthrow, and scores of churches and other Christian-owned properties in southern Egypt were ransacked that year."
This attack and deadly carnage follows a explosion that killed six police officers at a checkpoint in Cairo in the western Talibiya neighborhood on the way to the pyramids. Authorities reported that an Islamic group militants are responsibilities for the deaths of the officers.
"Eight Christian homes were attacked and an equal number of Copts were detained after Muslims in an Egyptian village went on a rampage following rumours of a house church being built.
The attack last week in Saft el-Khirsa (180km south of Cairo) trails more than a dozen others that have, over the past two months, made an already vulnerable community more nervous. Of those attacks, three have seen Copts injured and their properties vandalised in the wake of claims that churches were being secretly set up.
In Saft el-Khirsa, Coptic homes and stores were pelted by angry crowds shouting "We don’t want a church", and "No god but Allah, Christians the enemies of Allah", according to local witnesses."
"Since May 2016, Egypt’s Christians have suffered multiple attacks.
Reflecting what most Copts see as the country turning a blind eye to increased violence against its Christian minority, the Coptic Church’s Bishop Makarius tweeted on 17 July "reminding" president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi that Copts "are Egyptian citizens", and that his diocese of Minya "falls within the country’s jurisdiction".
On 7 July, the bishop said Egypt was "diseased" with discrimination. Home to nearly double the national average of 10% of Christians, Makarius’s diocese of Minya and Abu-Qurqas has seen a number of attacks."
"The world reacted in horror and revulsion at the kidnapping of 276 Nigerian schoolgirls in April. But twice as many Coptic Christian schoolgirls in Egypt have vanished slowly, one-by-one, in kidnappings that remain unsolved.
Since January, 2011 through March, 2014, over 550 Christian girls were kidnapped by Muslim men and forced to convert and marry their abductors, often after suffering violence at the hands of their kidnappers, according to the Association of Victims of Abduction and Forced Disappearance (AVAFD).
Often before these forced marriages, the traditional cross the Coptic minority tattooes on their wrists was erased with acid, according to Terrasanta, a Catholic news service.
The abductions have been going on for many years, with cases documented during Anwar Sadat’s government (1970-1981). After the fall of Hosni Mubarak, a dramatic surge began.
“Before the revolution five or six girls would disappear each month. Now the average is 15,” notes Ebram Louis, the founder of AVAFD in Egypt.
When girls and women are abducted from 14 to 40 years old, 40% are raped and subsequently forced to marry their captors after their conversion to Islam, according to AVAFD.
The organization says some of the victims are coerced by young Muslims, who first gain their trust, then force them to convert and marry.
Many who have studied this phenomenon believe there is an organized network behind the kidnappings. Some maintain there are Islamic cells dedicated exclusively to the abduction of Coptic Christian girls and young women."
We must pray for these girls and for this Egyptian teacher. We are in a Spiritual battle.
UPDATE March 25, 2014: For two years since I began this commentary on the crisis and upheaval in Egypt, I admit to watching for an Egyptian that would be "hard master" and "cruel king" described in Isaiah 19.
When Egypt's voters elected Muhammed Morsi, he seemed he could fit the bill, but in one year it was evident that would not be the case. After he granted himself unlimited powers stating he would "protect" the nation, a revolution exploded in Egypt with Morsi protesters calling for resignation.
But now, with Morsi's removal and imprisonment by Field Marshall Abdel Fattah el-Sisi a new Egyptian strongman has arisen in the country. Aljazeera calls him "the most powerful man in the country."
"Amnesty International issued a statement criticising Monday’s verdict by an Egyptian court that saw the sentencing of 529 suspected Muslim Brotherhood supporters to execution for their alleged role in last August’s violence.
“Today’s mass death sentences handed down by an Egyptian court are a grotesque example of the shortcomings and selective nature of Egypt's justice system,” read the statement issued on Monday.
The human rights organisation demanded “the injustice writ large and death sentences” be quashed.
Imposing such a high magnitude of death sentences means that Egypt has surpassed most other countries in the use of capital punishment in the past year, according to the Hassiba Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International.
Sahraoui added that Monday’s verdict is the largest single batch of simultaneous death sentences seen in recent years worldwide."
Another report from Ahram Online says that: "Only 147 defendants were present at the hearing. The remaining defendants have been released, set free on bail or still remain at large."
Its hard to imagine but think about it, an Egyptian court runs a high speed trial that does not require all defendants to appear and provide defense yet it sentenced 529 people to death for killing one police officer. Don't misunderstand, the murder of the Mostafa El-Attar, deputy commander of the Matay district police station is truly horrific and the tide of radical Islamic violence during dispersal of pro-Morsi sit-ins is abhorable, but we have to consider what has happened this week in Egypt.
Just one day before the ruling came out, another report from Ahram Online quoted Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II as saying something I found disconcerting about El-Sisi, especially considering the source as he mused with reporters about the possibility of a declaration of the defense minister's declaration for Egypt's presidency:
"Egyptians see him as a saviour and the hero of the 30 June revolution"
I pray for Egypt to come to see their real Savior, Yeshua of Nazareth. He is the one that spent time in Egypt as a young boy while being protected from a "hard master" and "cruel king".
UPDATE December 16, 2013: It does appear that Isaiah 19 must be in play somehow... a "movement" of Biblical proportions:
"The situation for Copts is worse than ever. The Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi experiment made life more difficult and oppressive than under Mubarak but reverting to the Mubarak era is not what Copts have risked their lives to obtain. Thus, I believe that if things are to get better in Egypt (real freedom in Egypt), things will first get worse."
"Christianity is in danger of becoming extinct in its ancient homelands because of a rising tide of sectarian attacks, a senior minister will warn on Friday.
Violence against Christian worshippers and other religious minorities by fanatics has become a “global crisis” and is the gravest challenge facing the world this century, Baroness Warsi will say.
“A mass exodus is taking place, on a Biblical scale. In some places, there is a real danger that Christianity will become extinct,” she will say at a speech at Georgetown University in Washington.
In the new year, Lady Warsi, the Minister for Faith who sits in the Cabinet, will host an international summit to draw up a plan to end the violence against Christians - particularly in the countries where the faith was born.
Writing for Telegraph.co.uk, Lady Warsi highlights the bombing of All Saints Church in Pakistan, killing 85 congregants, in September and the gun attack on a Coptic wedding party in Egypt as the latest outrages by militants who have turned “religion upon religion, sect upon sect”."
"Washington, D.C. (ICC) -- "I'm afraid to get out from my home and walk in the streets of the village. The situation is so dangerous for us here," Father Youannis Shawky, a Coptic priest, told ICC.
This sentiment is shared by many in the Christian community throughout Egypt, as Christians have increasingly come under attack for their part in the protests to remove Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from office. The retaliation against Christians from Islamists has included the looting and burning of houses, churches, schools and businesses. It has also become personal, as kidnapping and threats against individuals have been on the rise. In the city of Delga, in Upper Egypt, Islamist gangs took control, holding it captive for more than two months before security forces moved in."
"The level of violence has reached a level unseen in centuries. As ICC reported, on August 18, services were canceled at the church for the first time in 1,600 years. Days earlier, the church, which dates back to the fifth century, was looted and set on fire while calls for help went unanswered by the security forces, Christian Post recounted.
While these attacks continued, the security forces were nowhere to be seen. Father Youannis said, "Although there are all these attacks against Christians there is an absence of the police in the village. There is not any protection for the Christians here." Father Youannis added, "There is a situation of panic and fear among all the Christian families in the village."
"The Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters have began forcing the roughly 15,000 Christian Copts of Dalga village in Egypt to pay a jizya tax as indicated in Koran 9:29, author and translator Raymond Ibrahim reported on Sunday.
Jizya is the money, or tribute, “that conquered non-Muslims historically had to pay to their Islamic overlords ‘with willing submission and while feeling themselves subdued’ to safeguard their existence,” Mr. Ibrahim explained.
According to Fr. Yunis Shawqi, who spoke yesterday to Dostor reporters in Dalga, all Copts in the village, “without exception,” are being forced to pay the tax.
“[The] value of the tribute and method of payment differ from one place to another in the village, so that, some are being expected to pay 200 Egyptian pounds per day, others 500 Egyptian pounds per day,” Mr. Shawqi said, according to the translator.
In some cases, families not able to pay have been attacked. As many as 40 Christian families have now fled Dalga, Mr. Ibrahim reported.
The taxes are not unique to Egypt either.
Just over the weekend Syrian rebels went into a Christian man’s “shop and gave him three options: become Muslim; pay $70,000 as a tax levied on non-Muslims, known as jizya; or be killed along with his family,” Christian Science Monitor reported."
UPDATE August 16, 2013: God instructed us to pray for the Egyptians.
Please do that now as today has been marked as the "Friday of Anger" and the Egyptian Health Ministry reported violence in Egypt has now left at least 638 dead and nearly 4,000 injured. Today, he country has braced for Friday marches from mosques by Muslim Brotherhood supporters.
Yesterday there were 3 churches burned in attacks, today 52. The sudden attacks on churches throughout Egypt is reminiscent of the Legions of Titus that attached Jerusalem some 1,943 years ago. Sarah Sirgany and Laura Smith-Spark from CNN report: 'Horrible': Christian churches across Egypt stormed, torched
"Kafr Hakim, Egypt (CNN) -- For 67 years, the Virgin Mary Church has been a peaceful refuge for Shenouda El Sayeh, much like the Giza province village of Kafr Hakim where it rests and where he has lived all those years.
But, as he swept its floors on Thursday, it was painfully obvious things had changed.
The night before, a mob -- chanting against Coptic Christians such as El Sayeh and calling for Egypt to become an "Islamic state" -- had torched and looted the Virgin Mary Church.
"I didn't expect this to happen," El Sayeh said.
He's not alone. Christians all around Egypt are cleaning up in the aftermath of a spate of attacks, which came on the country's deadliest day since the 2011 revolution that overthrew longtime President Hosni Mubarak.
Bishop Angaelos, the Cairo-born head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, said he was told by colleagues in Egypt that 52 churches were attacked in a 24-hour span that started Wednesday, as well as numerous Christians' homes and businesses."
"The targeting of churches and Christian properties was not unexpected, Angaelos said, given the tensions in Cairo and elsewhere and in light of escalating attacks on Coptic Christians in recent weeks.
The growing threat led him last week to issue a statement warning of "a very real risk upon the life of every Christian." Pope Tawadros II, the church's leader in Egypt, also suspended weekly public events for fear of attacks on Christian congregations.
But the warnings didn't prevent the violence, nor did security efforts to protect churches and Christian communities, according to Ibrahim.
Said Angaelos, "The ferocity and the speed with which it all happened ... was quite surprising.""
"The situation has only become worse since Egypt's popular revolution overthrew former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, said Angaelos.
"In the past two-and-a-half years, we've had more deaths of people just because they are Christians than in the last 20 years," he said, adding that this had not triggered violent retaliation."
"AFP - Supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi torched three churches in central Egypt on Wednesday in reprisal attacks as police dispersed demonstrations in Cairo, reports said. The assailants threw firebombs at Mar Gergiss church in Sohag, a city with a large community of Coptic Christians who comprise up to 10 percent of Egypt's 84 million people, causing it to burn down, the official MENA news agency said. Security officials told AFP that another two churches were attacked in El-Menia province, leaving them partially damaged by fire."
"The health ministry announced Thursday that the death toll from subsequent clashes reached 525, with 3,572 others injured. Activists said the true death toll was much higher."
"Unfortunately, the ill-starred Arab Awakening is fueling more anger and frustration in the Islamic world, converting more people to jihad. After 15 years, there is no end in sight to al Qaeda. And the new generation—AQ 3.0—may be with us for years to come."
"In a resignation letter sent to Interim President Adly Mansour as the day's death toll from clashes throughout Egypt mounted, ElBaradei cited "decisions I do not agree with" regarding the government's crackdown on the political turmoil which began on July 3 with the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi, Reuters reports. "It has become difficult for me to continue bearing responsibility for decisions that I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear,"
ElBaradei wrote. "I cannot bear the responsibility for one drop of blood.'' Egypt's Health Ministry said 278 people were killed in violence on Wednesday throughout the country, including 235 civilians. The casualties were mostly in Cairo where police in riot gear bulldozed two protest camps that had been the flashpoint of growing unrest. The state news agency MENA quoted a spokesman saying over 1,400 people were wounded, according to Reuters. Sky News cameraman Mick Deane and Gulf News reporter Habiba Ahmed Abd Elaziz were among the dead, which included 43 policemen."
Today, Ariel Ben Solomon of The Jerusalem Post calls General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the new King of Egypt. In July, Vocativ called him the most powerful man in Egypt and questioned, is he the next pharaoh? You tell me, are we witnessing the prophecy of Isaiah 19:4? UPDATE July 31, 2013: With much duress in Egypt how about this vow and oblation of prayer and worship!!
“In a country rocked by change and division, some 1,400 eight to fourteen-year-old Egyptian children last week gathered to worship and ask God to change them to be the salt and light for Jesus in their communities. The first ever One Thing Kids festival was held at the desert oasis of Wadi El Natroun from 16-18 July and televised live by Christian broadcaster SAT-7. "Our vision is to have this generation praying and worshipping God, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit to be able to change the world," say festival organisers Kasr El Doubara Evangelical Church (KDEC) and the children's prayer ministry of the Synod of the Nile of the Presbyterian Church.”
Isaiah 19:21-22 And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform [it]. And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal [it]: and they shall return [even] to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.
Please pray for these Egyptian youth to heat it up. They want to be salt and light in the Muslim world.Salt is a mineral. It was formed by God at creation, not grown like a spice. Salt does not lose its flavor over time like a spice used for food except in one instance.So, why on earth did Jesus teach about salt losing it saltiness?Because He was not talking about food. He was talking about fire!The use of salt in His message in Luke is related to a bread oven and what was used to fire those earthen, clay ovens.
In Jesus' day, people did not chop and burn trees for firewood cooking, instead they burned dried dung.The floor of the ovens were lined with salt and the dung was also salted to make it burn hot.After time, if not refreshed, the salt in the oven would loss its saltiness and the oven would not make a hot fire.That's why we see in Luke 14:34-35 that salt without saltiness is ‘fit neither for the earth nor the dunghill; men throw it away’.
The NIV translates: Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. Pray the salt of these Christian's will burn hot in Egypt! UPDATE July 19, 2013: Egypt is on the brink of bloodshed as the stir of civil war pits Egyptian against Egyptian intensifies as The New York Times reports Crowds March in Egypt to Protest Morsi Detention
CAIRO — Thousands of people, demanding that ousted president Mohamed Morsi be returned to power, marched in several Egyptian cities on Friday, as the United Nations chief human rights official said she had pressed Egypt’s new leaders to provide details about why Mr. Morsi was being detained. At least three people were killed during clashes between pro- and anti-Morsi protesters in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, state news media reported.Mr. Morsi has not been heard from since being deposed by Egypt’s military on July 3, and he has not formally been charged with any crime. The military has refused to divulge details about his detention, except to say that he is being held for the good of the country and for his own safety. Several presidential aides have also been detained. On Friday, a spokesman for Navi Pillay, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said she had asked the Egyptian government to provide “information regarding the legal basis upon which the former president and his presidential team are detained.”
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel deployed its Iron Dome missile defence system near the Red Sea resort of Eilat, which is close to the border with Egypt, an army spokeswoman said. "An Iron Dome battery was deployed this morning in Eilat," the spokeswoman told AFP. "The batteries are deployed in several areas of the country and moved around according to changes in the (security) situation," she added without elaborating. But Israeli media said the deployment was related to unrest in Egypt, where the army is waging a campaign to drive militants out of the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Eilat.
● Newly formed Ansar al-Shariah threatened to use violence to impose Sharia law on an increasingly divided Egypt● Coptic Christian priest shot dead by gunmen in Egypt's lawless Northern Sinai in sectarian attack● Khairat el-Shater, considered the most powerful man in the Muslim Brotherhood, arrested late last night● Death toll following violent clashes that raged late into the night yesterday has risen to 36 Brings overall death toll to at least 75 over the space of a chaotic week in the now divided country● At least 1,079 more people injured amid violence in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities across Egypt● Ousted president Mohammed Morsi being held at Presidential Guard facility just a year after coming to power● Judge in Egypt's supreme court, Adly Mansour, sworn in as interim president in Cairo just hours after coup
UPDATE July 3, 2013: The Mideast has become even more destabilized. There is the Sunni v. Alawite Shiite civil war in Syria, instability and rioting in Turkey, the ongoing potential threat of Iran’s nuclear program and now upheaval and turmoil engulfs Egypt once again on the world's stage. There is grave implication for the Christian Copts of Egypt as radical Islamic groups have renewed their threats to the Christians in Egypt.
I beleive that violence will erupt again in the Middle East and it may grow to replicate and perhaps exceed what we now see in Syria and Damascus as Islamists oppose the established government. Civilians will suffer greatly including remaining Christians in these ancient lands.We could be looking at an Islamic revolution with the focus of re-establishing the Caliphate and the tide of conflict may soon point to possible earth shattering conflict of Biblical proportion directly at the middle of these nations, that is - - in Israel - - so pray for the Peace of Jerusalem! In Egypt today, we may be witnessing the rise of a "hard master and fierce king" as the Egyptian Constitution has been suspended this week. The military led by General Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi has placed President Morsi under house arrest. Morsi is a long time leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and his followers may rise up. CNN reports on the military coup d’état as Egyptian tanks move in on the Sinai toward Gaza as Egypt's President is put under house arrest:
"Morsy "did not achieve the goals of the people" and failed to meet the generals' demands that he share power with his opposition. The country's constitution has been suspended, new parliamentary elections will be held and Adly Mansour, head of the country's Supreme Constitutional Court, will replace Morsy, El-Sisi said.
CAIRO - Egypt’s military on Monday said mass protests calling for the resignation of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi were an “unprecedented” expression of the will of the people and gave the government 48 hours to meet the opposition's demands. In a statement read on state television just hours after the headquarters of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement were ransacked, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said if this did not happen the army would intervene.
The protesters' main demands are that Morsi announce early elections and step down, allowing a temporary government to take over. "If the demands of the people are not realized within the defined period, it will be incumbent upon (the armed forces)... to announce a road map for the future,” the statement said. It was followed by patriotic music. The road map would be created by the army, which would also oversee the plan's implementation, the statement said.
An increase in cash withdrawals has led many ATMs to run out of money, especially in the downtown area and in areas near government institutions, Al-Arabiya has reported. Concern has escalated regarding the consequences of Sunday's protests against President Mohamed Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood. A banking official told the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper that cash withdrawals from banks had increased significantly on Thursday, to four times the normal rate.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said that banks are working normally, except those near the hot spots of Rabaa al-Adaweya, Roxy, Tahrir Square, Garden City, and Abbasseya. Bank managers added that they have distributed more cash in ATMs in order to face increased money withdrawals, which are expected to increase even more on Sunday. Wael Mohsen, a banking expert, told Ahram that most of the exchange companies closed three days ago, while others called on their employees to stay inside without open the building for security purposes.
Nour Party assistant Secretary-General Shaaban Abdel Alim has said that the statement of the armed forces released on Monday is "ambiguous," warning against the repercussions of a return to military rule in Egypt. “Which demands will the army meet, those of Tahrir Square or of Rabea al-Adaweya Square?” Alim wondered, referring to the main protest sites of the opposition and supporters of President Mohamed Morsy. The Nour official said that while the opposition to the regime may seem larger in number, there are supporters who did not take part in demonstrations so as to avoid sedition."“The statement is stern,” Alim claimed, referring to the army announcement read out on state television which gave President Morsy a 48-hour ultimatum to pull Egypt out of the current political stalemate.“We fear the return of military rule...the deadline is not sufficient.”
By the way, did you notice the prayer bump or zebibah ("raisin" in Arabic) on the forehead of Secretary-General Shaaban Abdel Alim? It is a common "mark" on the forehead seen throughout the Muslim world caused by contact with the daily prayer mat. Many Muslims consider the prayer scar a sign of their religious obedience. UPDATE April 8, 2013: Ever since the Arab Spring uprisings began, the situation for followers of Jesus Christ aka Messiah Yeshua in the Middle East and North Africa, has become more dangerous with each passing day as the specter of persecution rises. What we are seeing today speaks of many verses including 2Timothy 3:12, Deuteronomy 4:30-31 and Revelation 13:3. According to touregypt.net:
"After the invasion of the Arab Muslims around the middle of the seventh century AD, the church suffered a slow decline but around the middle of the twentieth century, it experienced an unprecedented revival. This spiritual renaissance had its start in the forties and fifties in the Coptic Sunday School movements in Cairo, Giza and Asyut. Inspired by the challenges they experienced in the Sunday School classes, young men consecrated their lives to God and joined the desert fathers. Today, many of the church leaders grew from that spirited revival. The Copts continue to have active youth groups that emphasize religious education as well as providing social interaction. Although called Sunday schools, these gatherings usually held on Fridays, are considered to be a very important religious element to all the Coptic families."
"Hundreds of Christians were under siege inside Cairo’s Coptic cathedral last night as security forces and local residents, some armed with handguns, launched a prolonged and unprecedented attack on the seat of Egypt’s ancient Church. At least one person was killed and at least 84 injured as Christians inside the walled St Mark’s cathedral compound came under a frenzied assault from their assailants in the main road outside." "“Only God can save us from what is happening right now,” said Mina Zakaraya, a 25-year-old Coptic seminarian who was positioned inside the compound."
The Guardian reported that the siege occurred during "a funeral for four Christians killed in sectarian clashes on Saturday descended into chaos." Strangely this event has occurred just as Fox News broke a story in the U.S. that: "A U.S. Army training instructor listed Evangelical Christianity and Catholicism as examples of religious extremism along with Al Qaeda and Hamas during a briefing with an Army Reserve unit based in Pennsylvania, Fox News has learned."
The report went on the say: "The incident occurred during an Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training brief on extremism. Topping the list is Evangelical Christianity. Other organizations listed included Catholicism, Al Qaeda, Hamas, the Ku Klux Klan, Sunni Muslims, and Nation of Islam. The military also listed “Islamophobia” as a form of religious extremism." UPDATE February 6, 2013: For the past 34 years, the U.S. has been flowing about $2 billion a year to Egypt. That means we have given the people of the Nile about $68 billion so far. The only nation receiving more U.S. aid is Israel. But now, Iran has entered the picture and instead of giving money away they are offering to lend a big credit line to the cash strapped nation according to Reuters.
And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the LORD shall hiss for the fly that [is] in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that [is] in the land of Assyria. And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes. In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, [namely], by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard. Isaiah 7:18-20
"Egypt has imposed a limit on the amount of money people can take out of the country, amid fears of an impending run on the banks. The move to ban leaving with more than £6,000 came as thousands of Egyptians withdrew savings from banks to hoard cash at home. Anxiety about a deepening political and economic crisis has gripped the country in past weeks, with many people rushing to buy dollars and take out their savings from banks. As well as huge political problems, the country also has a faltering economy. The panic came as the country’s new president, Mohammed Morsi, called for ‘unity’ after a referendum approved a controversial constitution which gave him and islamist allies more powers."
"Egypt's controversial new constitution has been signed into law by President Mohammed Morsi, a day after he announced it had been approved by a large majority in a referendum that his opponents claim was marked by widespread irregularities. Critics say the new constitution, which was hurriedly drafted by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and its Salafist allies, is undemocratic and too Islamist, and that it could allow clerics to intervene in the lawmaking process and leave minority groups without proper legal protection.
Results of the two-part referendum, announced on Tuesday, showed that an overwhelming 63.8% of Egyptians had approved the text, paving the way for a parliamentary elections in about two months. The result is the Islamists' third straight electoral victory since the country's former autocratic leader, Hosni Mubarak, was toppled last year."
"CAIRO – The head of Egypt's election commission says the new constitution has passed with a 63.8 percent "yes" vote in a referendum. According to official results announced Tuesday, 32.9 percent of voters participated. The announcement turns the Islamist-drafted charter into the country's first constitution after the uprising that forced Hosni Mubarak out of office after nearly 30 years of authoritarian rule."
"The Egyptian army has begun to clear demonstrators and media organisations from outside the presidential palace in Cairo. It follows violent overnight clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi that left five people dead and 644 injured."
"Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has caused controversy by putting himself above oversight and protecting Islamist lawmakers who support him. President Morsi Thursday declared that his decisions cannot be appealed by the courts or any other authority, citing a need to "protect the revolution." The decree announced by his spokesman also bars Egypt's judiciary from dissolving the upper house of parliament and an assembly drafting a new constitution - two bodies dominated by Morsi's Islamist allies."
"Several prominent Egyptian liberal political leaders, including some who ran in this year's presidential election, met in Cairo on Thursday, with most expressing their shock at Mr. Morsi's moves. "Morsi today usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh. A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences," wrote Mohamed ElBaradei, a former candidate and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on his official Twitter account."
"Ahmed Maher, head of one of the main revolutionary factions known as the April 6 Movement, called the decrees "the start of a new era of dictatorship." Analysts said the decrees could fuel further unrest. "This is dangerous and destabilizing," said Michael Hanna, a Middle East expert with the Century Foundation think tank in New York. "It will increase polarization and set a really damaging precedent.""
It seems that Jeremiah speaks of this day...
"Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee: Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, [is] his name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes [are] open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings: Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, [even] unto this day, and in Israel, and among [other] men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day." Jeremiah 32:17-20
UPDATE November 21, 2012: As Americans are busy shopping for a turkey to roast in the oven, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls Israel "a terrorist state" as rocket # 1,408 is fired by the terrorist group Hamas from Gaza this week. This is REALLY scary as he speaks like a dragon when he says: "Israel is a terror state and its acts are terrorist acts". Almighty God says Israel is His promised land. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! Yet there are things to be thankful for as a Gaza cease fire is announced in a joint news conference with Hillary Clinton and Mohamed Kamel Amr of Egypt.
And we can be thankful for this: Can you imagine this statement just 60 years ago? Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle had this to say Tuesday during a meeting in Israel with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu:
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle answered, "I’m here to underline that Germany stands by our friends in Israel, and Israel has every right to defend itself and protect their own citizens against these missile attacks from Gaza into your country, Prime Minister. Of course we now have to consider and discuss how a cease-fire is possible. But there is one key condition for everything else, and that is the stop of the missile attacks against Israel.
"This is a clear message," he added, "not only of the German Government but this is also the message what the European Foreign Minister yesterday sent out. We will do our best and we welcome what you just mentioned, that you seek and work on a diplomatic solution, there’s something with which we 100% agree. But now, of course it’s also important to see that Egypt plays a key role. Germany is ready to help and to support and we will do our best in the interest of our friends in Israel."
Islamic Jihad official says his missiles are Iranian-made - Ziad Nakhaleh says Fajr-3 and Fajr-5 rockets have ‘returned the pride to the Palestinian people’. Perhaps Ziad is a buddy of Recep. I fear that perhaps Amos 7:16-17 speaks of the fate of men like these. UPDATE November 16, 2012: Haaretz reports late Friday that rockets were fired from Egypt and only in the land of the Bible would you ever expect to learn that the IDF tells its military to prepare for 7 weeks of fighting.
Seventy is another key Biblical number. Today, 70 terrorist rockets were launched in a rain of fire from Gaza to destinations in Israel, and the Israeli Cabinet responded by voting to call up 75,000 reserve troops just as HAMAS released a video purporting to have been fired at The Knesset, Israel's Parliamentary Building:
The Jerusalem Post reports... "that over 500 strikes have been carried out by the military since Operation Pillar of Defense commenced on Wednesday afternoon." Today's violence and fire from the sky follows this week's Gaza aggression as sirens scream over Tel Aviv. The BBC reports that "Militants said they wanted to hit the Israeli parliament, but the missile landed outside the city - and there were no casualties." The BBC report also advised:
"Israel's Haaretz newspaper said the rocket landed in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem. It said it was the first time since 1970 that a rocket had been fired there. Police were checking to see if a second rocket fell in the Jerusalem area. Tel Aviv was earlier targeted for the second day, but a missile aimed at the city appears to have done no harm, with police officials quoted variously as saying it had landed in the sea or in an unpopulated area. It is the first time Tel Aviv has come under attack since the 1991 Gulf War."
As earthquakes shook the ground above magnitude 6.0 in diverse places such as Myanmar, Mexico, Guatemala, Alaska, Chile and the Kuril Islands as the sun unleashed a gigantic solar blast, the IDF's "Pillar of Defense" engaged this week following the firing of over 700 rockets from Gaza into Israel since the beginning of the year. Can you just imagine for a moment the military response that the U.S. would engage if rockets were fired from Mexico or Canada at targets in the land of the free... why would Israel respond any differently? Since 2003, over 12,000 rockets have hit southern Israel.
"(UPI) -- A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck Alexandria, Egypt, early Friday morning, the Egyptian geophysical agency reported. Hatem Oada, head of the National institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research, said in a statement the tremor occurred at 5:35 a.m. local time, its epicenter in the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Nile Delta. He added the region is not typically seismically active."
UPDATE October 11, 2012:Egypt's Brotherhood heads urged jihad for Jerusalem The supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi emanated, called on Thursday for a jihad (holy war) to liberate Jerusalem from Israeli rule.
"AFP - The supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi emanated, called on Thursday for a jihad (holy war) to liberate Jerusalem from Israeli rule."
Jerusalem is Islamic ... and nobody is entitled to make concessions" on the Holy City, said Sheikh Mohammed Badie in his weekly message to supporters. "The jihad for the recovery of Jerusalem is a duty for all Muslims," he said, stressing that the liberation of the Holy City "will not be done through negotiations or at the United Nations." Israel, which signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, has watched with concern as Islamists were catapulted to the forefront of politics following a popular uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak last year. Morsi has repeatedly said he would respect international treaties signed by Cairo. But his former movement has also said there is room to revise the accords, without objecting to them in principle."
"“The time has come for the Islamic nation to unite around one man for the sake of Jerusalem and Palestine,” Badie said. “The Jews have dominated the land, spread corruption on earth, spilled the blood of believers and in their actions profaned holy places, including their own.”
“Zionists only understand the language of force and will not relent without duress,” Badie continued. “This will only happen through holy Jihad, high sacrifices and all forms of resistance. The day they realize we will march this path and raise the banner of Jihad for the sake of God, is the day they will relent and stop their tyranny.”
Badie, 69, has headed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt since 2010, and before that served on its governing council for more than a decade. Trained in veterinary medicine and an academic by profession, he served time in jail for political activity as a young man but was pardoned by president Anwar Sadat."
UPDATE September 29, 2012:US Embassy issues terror warning for Americans in Egypt "Citing credible threat to women engaged in missionary activities, diplomats urge citizens to exercise vigilance. The US Embassy in Cairo issued a terrorist threat warning on Friday for American citizens living in Egypt.
The diplomatic mission stated on its website that it has “credible information suggesting terrorist interest in targeting US female missionaries in Egypt.” The embassy urged US citizens to “exercise vigilance, taking necessary precautions to maintain their personal security.” Americans in Egypt were also advised to maintain valid travel documents and to regularly monitor the US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website, which lists updated travel warnings and alerts." UPDATE September 28, 2012: Christians 'flee Egypt town after death threats' "AFP - Several Christian families have fled their homes in Egypt's Sinai peninsula after receiving death threats from suspected Islamist militants, officials and residents told AFP on Friday. Last week, flyers began circulating in the town of Rafah on the Gaza Strip border demanding that its tiny Coptic population move out, residents said. Officials at the local church informed the authorities of the threats, but no action was taken, they added.
Days later, a shop belonging to one of the families was fired on with automatic rifles, witnesses said. The events prompted the families to leave Rafah but there were conflicting accounts over whether they had done so voluntarily or been evicted. "The families have left Rafah and gone to El-Arish," one official said on condition of anonymity." UPDATE September 12, 2012: State Department officer killed in attack on US Consulate in Libya, following Egyptian protest at US embassy
"URGENT: A United States envoy and three others were reportedly killed in an attack on the American embassy in Libya, unconfirmed reports say. Protesters angered over a film that ridiculed Islam's Prophet Muhammad fired gunshots and burned down the U.S. consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, killing one American diplomat, witnesses and the State Department said.
In Egypt, protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy in Cairo and replaced an American flag with an Islamic banner. It was the first such assaults on U.S. diplomatic facilities in either country, at a time when both Libya and Egypt are struggling to overcome the turmoil following the ouster of their longtime leaders, Muammar Qaddafi and Hosni Mubarak in uprisings last year."
"President Mohamed Morsi makes history tomorrow, August 30, with a visit to Iran to attend the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) meetings — the first diplomatic visit for an Egyptian head of state since the Iranian revolution in 1979.
Since his election, the president has been expected to improve ties with Iran as planned in his electoral platform but official statements from his office deny such attempts. Days ahead of his visit, Morsi’s spokesperson Yasser Ali told the press that there weren’t any plans to restore diplomatic ties between the countries, calling the president’s visit to the summit “protocol.”
"The matter [of restoring diplomatic ties] is out of the question at this stage," said Ali to As-Sharq al-Awsat. Egypt, the current chair of NAM, is to hand over the rotating three-year chairmanship to Iran in the meeting, held in the Iranian capital Tehran. The movement was founded during the Cold War to advocate the causes of the developing world amid tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. Reports have also said that Morsi would hold talks with the Iranian president, senior officials and intellectuals to discuss economic, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
The Egyptian president met earlier this month with Iran’s vice president Hamid Baqaei in Cairo, where Baqaei formally invited Morsi to the NAM summit. "We look forward to Egypt’s participation as a founding member of the movement,” the Middle East News Agency (MENA) quoted Baqaei saying. The summit, running August 26–31, is discussing the Syrian crisis as well as Iran’s nuclear program. In mid-August, Morsi had suggested at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Summit that Iran, a strong ally of Syrian president Bashar El Assad, cooperates with Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to solve the Syrian crisis. His plans to visit Tehran was announced a few days later."
UPDATE June 29, 2012: Perhaps akin to the earthquake swarms and volcanic activity that are now lifting Canary island of El Hierro this week that may one day pose a major threat to the US... during his speech Friday Egypt's new President Morsi told the jeering Cairo crowds that he would work to free blind Egyptian Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman who is now serving a life sentence in solitary confinement for his conviction in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing:
""I see banners for Omar Abdel Rahman's family, and for prisoners arrested according to martial rulings and detainees from the beginning of the revolution," said Egyptian president-elect Mohammed Morsi to a buoyant crowd of Islamist supporters in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday. "It is my duty to make every effort, and I will beginning tomorrow, to secure their release, among them Omar Abdel Rahman."
"Egyptian President-elect Mohammed Morsy is looking to expand ties with Tehran to create a strategic "balance" in the region, according to an interview with Iran's semi-official FARS news agency published Monday. Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been severed for more than 30 years, but both sides have signaled a shift in policy since former president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown last year in a popular uprising. FARS quoted him as saying he was interested in better relations with Tehran. "This will create a balance of pressure in the region, and this is part of my program.""
Readers, it is time to remember 1979... it was just 33 years ago that Ayatollah Khomeini led a revolution in Iran that led to the Shah's overthrow and transformed Iran into an Islamic republic whose leadership now provides a nuclear threat to the safety of the world. And today, we MUST plainly read with eyes wide open that Egypt's Morsi 'to rethink Israel pact, build Iran ties'
"Egypt's Islamist president-elect, Mohamed Morsi, wants to "reconsider" the peace deal with Israel and build ties with Iran to "create a strategic balance" in the Middle East, according to an interview published by Iran's Fars news agency on Monday. The stated goals are certain to alarm Israel and its ally the United States as they adapt to the new direction Egypt will chart with Morsi at the helm.
They could also boost Iran's influence in the Middle East at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and the West. "We will reconsider the Camp David Accord" that, in 1979, forged a peace between Egypt and Israel that has held for more than three decades, Morsi was quoted as telling a FARS reporter in Cairo on Sunday, just before his election triumph was announced. He said the issue of Palestinian refugees returning to homes their families abandoned in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and the 1967 Six-Day War "is very important"."
"Cairo (CNN) -- Hours after being declared his nation's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi vowed late Sunday to represent all Egyptians, and he urged his countrymen to put aside their differences and come together for the common good. "This national unity is the only way to get Egypt out of this difficult crisis," Morsi said in a nationally televised speech. The longtime Muslim Brotherhood member paid special tribute to those "martyrs" who helped spearhead the revolution that led to the ouster of Egypt's longtime President Hosni Mubarak and, more than a year later, to Morsi's election."
The Muslim Brotherhood has vowed to face down Egypt's ruling generals in a "life or death" struggle over the country's political future, after declaring that its candidate had won the presidential election and would refuse to accept the junta's last-ditch attempts to engineer a constitutional coup. As final ballot results trickled in and unofficial tallies suggested that Mohamed Morsi had secured approximately 52% of the popular vote, the Brotherhood deployed its harshest language yet against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf), promising to bring millions of Egyptians back on to the streets if attempts to rebuild the old regime continued.
"CAIRO: Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi claimed victory Monday in Egypt's first free presidential vote, as the military handed itself sweeping powers in a move denounced by activists as a "coup." A confirmed win by Mursi would mark the first time Islamists are elected to the presidency in the Arab World's most populous nation, but the military rulers' moves to consolidate power ahead of the final results have rendered any future president toothless. The Islamists' rival Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force chief and ex-prime minister to ousted president Hosni Mubarak, disputed the Brotherhood's victory announcement, labeling it "bizarre behaviour.""
"Confusion reigns in Egypt after stunning court rulings threw the country's awkward transition toward democratic rule into turmoil. The decision sparked cries that Egypt's military leaders have engineered a "soft coup" to thwart their longtime foes -- Islamists who just weeks ago captured a majority of seats in the Egyptian parliament in the first election in Egypt in generations. The court's decision dissolves parliament, and the military was quick to say it now controls legislative affairs in Egypt, actions that raised the prospect of renewed mass street protests."
"According to Egyptian state media, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has held central power in Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak resigned in February 2011, has reportedly assumed legislative authority in place of parliament. It is not clear if the ruling, which reportedly approved the right of Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak’s last prime minister, to run for president, will throw a wrench in the presidential election runoff, set to take place Saturday and Sunday. Shafiq is pitted against the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohammed Morsi."
UPDATE May 16, 2012: Today, seven days remain before the Egyptian Presidential Elections. The Voice of Russia recently reported on statements from Mohamed Morsi, the presidential candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood that are shown here on Memri: Quoting the report from the Voice of Russia:
"Egypt’s Constitution should be based on the Koran and Sharia law, presidential candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist movement Mohamed Morsi said. “The Koran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader, jihad is our path and death in the name of Allah is our goal,” Morsi said in his election speech before Cairo University students on Saturday night. Today Egypt is close as never before to the triumph of Islam at all the state levels, he said.“Today we can establish Sharia law because our nation will acquire well-being only with Islam and Sharia. The Muslim Brothers and the Freedom and Justice Party will be the conductors of these goals,” he said."
Just listen to the tone of Egyptian Cleric Safwat Higazi voice as he declares Presidential candidate Morsi will make Jerusalem (Al Quds) "the capital of the caliphate" as millions of martyrs will march toward Jerusalem leading the United Arab States against the nation of Judah. If this happens the words seen in Isaiah 19 will be fulfilled in our time as Egyptians turn against Egyptians and the land of Judah becomes a terror to the Egyptians.
"As Egyptians prepare to vote for their first post-Mubarak president next week, the antipathy towards Israel espoused by the frontrunners aligns with the findings of a new survey, in which 61 percent of Egyptian respondents favor abandoning the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, up from 54 percent a year ago."
UPDATE April 21, 2012: Today it seems that the top candidate for the Egyptian Presidency is now Amr Moussa. The election is set for May 23rd and 24th with the President to be named on June 24, 2012. For the past decade Moussa, who will be 76 this year has served as the 6th Secretary-General of the Arab League a post that he also took on in the 6th month of 2001 and left in the 6th month of 2011. Amr Moussa has been an extremely critical of Israel's position toward Gaza and the West Bank and He has long criticized the U.S. government for supporting Israel's nuclear power system but not allowing Iran to pursue nuclear energy. UPDATE April 5, 2012: Reuters reports: Egypt Brotherhood candidate says sharia is main goal"CAIRO (Reuters) - The Muslim Brotherhood's candidate for the Egyptian presidency, Khairat al-Shater, declared that introducing sharia law would be his "first and final" objective if he wins elections in May and June."""Sharia was and will always be my first and final project and objective," Shater was quoted on Wednesday as telling a meeting of the Religious Association for Rights and Reform - a group of which he is a member, along with figures who belong to the hard-line Salafi school of Islam.""
"There is no deal between me and the military regarding my candidacy," said Shater, who often drew up the Brotherhood's strategy from a prison cell during Mubarak's rule. His candidacy may splinter the Islamist vote, which is already split between at least three other candidates, possibly benefiting opponents attached to Mubarak's old order. Two main Islamist contestants are Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, who follows a much more conservative interpretation of Islam than the Brotherhood, and Abdel Moneim Abol Fotoh, who was kicked out of the Brotherhood for announcing he would run for president before the group changed tack. Some Islamist candidates say they have come under pressure to withdraw in favour of Shater but they have promised to stay in the race. The ruling generals insist they will not get involved in the elections."" UPDATE January 26, 2012:U.S. outrage as Egypt bars Americans from leaving (Reuters) - "Six Americans working for publicly funded U.S. organizations promoting democracy in Egypt have been barred from leaving the country, provoking angry demands in Washington that Cairo's new military rulers stop "endangering American lives". Among those hit by travel bans - one of those targeted called it "de facto detention" - is a son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, as well as other foreign staffers of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute, officials at the two organizations said."
UPDATE January 21, 2012: Islam takes Egypt's parliament. ABC News reports: "The Muslim Brotherhood, the big winner in the first election since the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak last February, said it joined several other parties in backing Saad el-Katatni, the secretary-general of the Brotherhood's own party. The main function of the new parliament is to pick a 100-person commission to draw up a new constitution for Egypt, while preparations take place for presidential elections scheduled for June.
The selection of el-Katatni showed the power of the Islamists to influence that process. The Muslim Brotherhood-led alliance won more than 45 percent of the 498 parliament seats. A more radical Islamist movement won another 25 percent. The two are not seen likely to join forces on many issues because of their religious differences." UPDATE January 16, 2011: My dear friends Batya and Angus Wootten shared this video regarding the prophetic engagement from Isaiah about Egypt. As they say:
"You need to experience this incredible video! It represents prophecy being fulfilled before our very eyes! Abba says, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance” (Isaiah 19:25).
Egypt, is now proving this ancient prophecy to be true!"
"In December 2010, a man in Tunisia burned himself to death in protest at his treatment by police. Below traces an extraordinary year as pro-democracy rebellions erupted across the Middle East."
UPDATE December 6, 2011: USA Today reports: Muslim Brotherhood top winner in Egyptian election "CAIRO – Parties that want an expansion of Islamic law captured a clear majority of the votes in Egypt's first election since the uprising that ousted longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak, according to results released Sunday.
The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party topped winners with 37% of the nearly 10 million valid ballots cast for party lists in the first of three electoral rounds for the Egyptian parliament. The Brotherhood, a movement that seeks to expand Islamic law in many countries in the Middle East, prevailed in an election that included voters in Cairo and Alexandria, cities where liberal parties had hoped to exhibit their greatest strength. Also winning big was the Nour Party, which took 24% of the vote.
The party, dominated by the ultraconservative Salafis, did not exist until a few months ago. It seeks to impose strict Islamic law similar to Saudi Arabia in which women must be veiled and alcohol banned." UPDATE November 19, 2011:Dozens hurt as Christian march attacked in Cairo AFP - Hundreds of Coptic Christians marching in Cairo on Thursday came under attack by assailants throwing stones and bottles and 25 people were lightly injured in subsequent clashes, a security official said. They were marching to demand justice for the Christian victims of a clash with soldiers in October that left at least 25 people dead, most of them Christians. The official said the Copts were attacked in the northern Shoubra neighbourhood with stones and bottles, and that some among them responded in kind. He said supporters of an Islamist candidate for upcoming parliamentary election joined in the attack on the Copts.
AL ARABIYA reports... Egyptians back in Tahrir for anti-military protests, 10 months after Mubarak’s ousterHundreds of thousands of Egyptians rallied Friday in Cairo’s Tahrir square with Islamists in the forefront to protest against what they say are attempts by the country’s military rulers to designate themselves as the guardians of a new Egypt. It was one of the largest rallied in Egypt in recent months.Most rallies in Tahrir have been led by liberal- or left-leaning groups. But Friday’s rally was dominated by the country’s most organized political group, the Muslim Brotherhood, which has rarely come out in full force since the protests that forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down in February.
The Brotherhood had until recently avoided confrontation with the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, but now warns of escalating its protest campaign if plans to give permanent political powers to the military are not scrapped.“The army has no role in ruling people. Its only job is to protect the country. We want civilian rule chosen through democracy,” said Hani Hegazi, a 28-year old Brotherhood member who traveled by bus to Tahrir from the Delta province of el-Beheira, according to The Associated Press. Banners read: “Down with military rule. Egypt our country is not a military camp.” Some demonstrators flew the Egyptian flag, while others including ultraconservative Salafis waved a banner declaring Islam's holy book, the Quran, to be “our constitution.”
UPDATE November 21, 2011: Egypt's civilian government, the Prime Minister's cabinet resigns!!"Cairo (CNN) -- Fresh violence broke out in and around Cairo's Tahrir Square early Tuesday, hours after Egypt's Cabinet submitted its resignation to the nation's military-led government.
Multiple people suffered injuries in intense early morning clashes, according to CNN staff on site. Ambulances could be seen on video rushing in and out of the square, which served as the hub for the movement that led to the ouster nine months ago of long-time President Hosni Mubarak and is now a center for protests against Egypt's military rulers.
Tuesday's violence marks the fourth straight day of clashes between security forces and protesters, days ahead of a November 28 parliamentary election."People here feel that they have been cheated and that they have moved from an autocracy to a military dictatorship," protester Mosa'ab Elshamy said. "So they are back to the square -- back to square one -- to ask for their rights once again."Another man said the Supreme Council itself must relinquish authority.
"We want the military council to hand over power to civilians," he said. "It's over! It's enough of them. ... Stop beating the people!"With citizen activists again at odds with security forces in Tahrir Square, the scene this week in many ways resembles what happened in February."
"CAIRO — Egypt's Health Ministry says 22 people have been killed since Sunday in clashes between police and protesters demanding the country's military rulers quickly transfer power to a civilian government. About 3,000 demonstrators faced off with hundreds of black-clad riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets in Cairo's central Tahrir Square on Monday. Egypt's Health Ministry said up to 1,750 have been wounded in the clashes since they began Saturday, The Associated Press reported."
Up to 50 killed by security forces, activists say, as thousands defy government repression to call for freedom in Syria.
"Dozens of people have been shot dead by Syrian security forces, activists claim, as tens of thousands took part in anti-government rallies dubbed a "day of rage".
Activists said at least 50 protesters were killed across the country on Friday, although Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the death toll.
At least 15 people were reported killed near Deraa where security forces fired on thousands of protesters trying to enter the besieged southern city, sources told Al Jazeera's Rula Amin.
Deraa has been the scene of regular demonstrations since protests against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's rule began last month, but the city has also borne the brunt of weeks of government repression.
The government claims its forces are battling "extremist and terrorist groups in the town" and said two soldiers were killed on Friday." Update March 16, 2011: The prophetic road to Iran is now beginning to extend from Egypt to Syria as unrest is arriving on the scene in the oracle timeline on the road to Damascus inspired by the "Arab Spring" in Egypt.
"At least 35 people have been arrested after they defied a ban on demonstrations and protested in the Syrian capital, reports say.
About 150 people had gathered near the interior ministry, demanding the release of political prisoners. It follows Tuesday's "day of rage" when hundreds calling for democracy protested in Damascus and Aleppo.""
This BBC article tells us something prophetic: "The ruling Baath party has dominated Syrian politics for nearly 50 years." Fifty (50) years is equal to a Jubilee. The rule of a Jubilee is that land will be returned.