Egypt and peace with Israel!
Peace will come between Israel and Egypt initially by means of destruction and later by means of conversion. A comprehensive story of Egypt's future is given in Isaiah 19:1-22. In verses 1-10 the prophet Isaiah described the punishment of Egypt because of her sins. Egypt will be characterized by civil war, desolation, and famine. In verses 11-15 the prophet stated that the root cause of Egypt's devastation of her leaders who have led Egypt astray. Under the dictatorships of Farouk, Nasser and Sadat, Egypt went to war against Israel on four occasions resulting in heavy losses for Egypt and wrecking its economy. Out of all this, there developed a fear in Egypt of Israel as prophesied in Isaiah 19:16-17
19:16In that day shall the Egyptians be like women; and they shall tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of Yahweh of Hosts, which he shakes over them. 19:17The land of Judah shall become a terror to Egypt; everyone to whom mention is made of it shall be afraid, because of the purpose of Yahweh of Hosts, which he purposes against it.
Never in history has this been true, and Egyptian forces passed through the land of Israel freely even in the days of Solomon. Only since 1948 and especially since the six day war have the Egyptian forces evidenced the fear portrayed in this passage. There has been a fear and dread in Egypt of Israel ever since that time. Egypt having lost four wars against Israel with heavy casualties, the fear is deeply rooted. Prophetically, today is still the period of Isaiah 19:16-17.
But eventually peace will come between Israel and Egypt. Initially the peace is a political one when the Hebrew language will be spoken in Egypt by five cities according to Isaiah 19:18:
19:18In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to Yahweh of hosts; one shall be called The city of destruction.
In Isaiah's day, the language of Canaan was the Hebrew language. It would appear from this verse that these five cities speaking Hebrew will be Jewish populated cities. Exactly how this prophecy will be fulfilled remains to be seen.
This in turn will slowly give way to Egypt's conversion in Isaiah 19:19-22:
19:19In that day shall there be an altar to Yahweh in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border of it to Yahweh. 19:20It shall be for a sign and for a witness to Yahweh of Hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry to Yahweh because of oppressors, and he will send them a savior, and a defender, and he will deliver them. 19:21Yahweh shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Yahweh in that day; yes, they shall worship with sacrifice and offering, and shall vow a vow to Yahweh, and shall perform it. 19:22Yahweh will strike Egypt, smiting and healing; and they shall return to Yahweh, and he will be entreated of them, and will heal them.
An altar to the God of Israel will be built as a sign and witness of the power of God of Israel to save the land of Egypt (verse 19-20a). Egypt will be greatly oppressed by the forces of the Antichrist and the Cohorts (Daniel 11:42-43), but God will save Egypt from the domination of those oppressors (verse 20b). The Egyptians will realize that Allah the Muslim God cannot save them but only Yahweh the God of Israel. This will lead to a national conversion of Egypt. Egypt shall know Yahweh and will worship Yahweh with oblations, sacrifices and vows (verse 21). The same God who brought about their destruction will also bring about their regeneration and their healing when they turn in faith to him (verse 22).
In conjunction with the latter days of tribulation and he campaign of Armageddon, there will be a national conversion of Egypt. In this manner they will take their place in the ranks of the Sheep Gentiles. It should be noted that Egypt will be one of the nations that will move against the Antichrist in Daniel 11:40.
Nevertheless, because Egypt's longstanding hatred of Israel, in the outworking of the cursing principle of the Abrahamic Covenant, Egypt will suffer a desolation that will be similar to Edom accorded to Joel 3:19:
3:19Egypt
will be a desolation,
And Edom will be a desolate wilderness,
For the violence done to the children of
Judah,
Because they have shed innocent blood in
their land.
The sin of Egypt is the same as Edom, mistreatment of the Jews, and so punishment will come. With Edom it will be total and permanent (desolation and wilderness). But with Egypt it will be total yet temporary (desolation but not a wilderness). In fact, the desolation of Egypt is to last only for the first forty years of the kingdom as recorded in Ezekiel 29:1-16:
29:1In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 29:2Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt; 29:3speak, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, that has said, My river is my own, and I have made it for myself. 29:4I will put hooks in your jaws, and I will cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales; and I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, with all the fish of your rivers which stick to your scales. 29:5I will cast you forth into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers: you shall fall on the open field; you shall not be brought together, nor gathered; I have given you for food to the animals of the earth and to the birds of the sky. 29:6All the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am Yahweh, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. 29:7When they took hold of you by your hand, you did break, and did tear all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke, and mad all their loins to be at a stand. 29:8Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will bring a sword on you, and will cut off from you man and animal. 29:9The land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste; and they shall know that I am Yahweh. Because he has said, The river is mine, and I have made it; 29:10therefore, behold, I am against you, and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from the tower of Seveneh even to the border of Ethiopia. 29:11No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of animal shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. 29:12I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be a desolation forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 29:13For thus says the Lord Yahweh: At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were scattered; 29:14and I will bring back the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their birth; and they shall be there a base kingdom. 29:15It shall be the base of the kingdoms; neither shall it any more lift itself up above the nations: and I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. 29:16It shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to memory, when they turn to look after them: and they shall know that I am the Lord Yahweh.
Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy against Egypt (verse 1-2) and predict the coming dispersion of the Egyptians from their land (verses 3-5) because of their long history of mistreatment of Israel (verse 6-7). The land of Egypt will suffer a period of total desolation verse (8-10), which will last for forty years (verse 11-12a), and the Egyptians will be scattered all over the world like Israel was before her (verse 12b). But after the end of the period of forty years, the Egyptians will be regathered (verse 13) and brought back into their land (verse 14).
Though Egypt will become a kingdom again, it will never be a powerful one (verse 15). Nor will Israel ever again be guilty of placing her confidence in Egypt (verse 16), but will trust in the Lord their God. As for the lowly kingdom of Egypt, it will also be required to observe the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-19).
In Summary, peace will come between Israel and Egypt by means of conversion. Only when the Egyptians worship the same God as Israel, through the Jesus the Messiah, will peace finally come. For the first forty years of the kingdom, he land of Egypt will be desolate and the Egyptians will be dispersed all over the world, but afterwards the Egyptians will be regathered, becoming a kingdom again.