EGYPT 2013 - Isaiah 19
EGYPT – 2013- IN THAT DAY
Sunday, July 14, 2013, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Isa. 19: “IN THAT DAY, shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan (gospel of Jesus Christ); and swear to the Lord of hosts; one shall be called, the city of destruction. IN THAT DAY, shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord. It shall be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a Savior, and a Great One, and He shall deliver them.”
In November 2012, over 70,000 Coptic Christian and Protestant denominations in Egypt came together in prayer in Cairo. In June, 2013, on The Day of Pentecost, an even larger group gathered in prayer as well as some of the non-fanatic Muslims.
On July 3, 2013, the Muslim Brotherhood Party president, Mohamed Morsi was ousted from office and arrested along with his cabinet, ministers, and advisors. This happened overnight. The world has been totally taken by surprise. The media of the United States is fixated on a trial, though tragic, is inconsequential compared to what is happening in Egypt.
The Lord of Hosts is God’s rule over every power in Heaven and earth. He says he will do this as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah in chapter 19.
The Christians in Egypt have been accused of being behind the coup against the Muslim Brotherhood. Many Christians have been kidnapped at least nine have been killed. Many churches have been sacked with at least one priest killed.
Due to the persecution of Christians, there is only an estimate of 10%+ of the population in Egypt is Christian. It is to the shame of the United States that this administration backs the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as well as other nations in the Middle East.
This passage of Isaiah attests the prophet’s startling faith to see the day when Egypt will turn to the Lord.
These verses depict the Egyptians as gradually coming to acknowledge Israel’s God as theirs, in consequence of His dealings with them in history. At first only a few cities will turn to Him. Scholars believe the City of Destruction to be Heliopolis, a present suburb of Cairo, where a temple of the Jews was built in 1 B.C. It is believed this is the “city of the sun”. Josephus wrote the Jews were jealous of the rival temple in Egypt and changed the name from the “city of the sun” to the “city of destruction”.
Egypt has been a refuge for Jews through the millenniums as well as Egypt was the place of refuge chosen by God to send his Son.
Mt. 2: 13-15: “…the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. Joseph took the young child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt. They were there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt have I called my Son” (Ex. 4:22; Hos. 11:1).
Alexandria, second largest city of the world, in Jesus’ day, was predominantly a Jewish city. There the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (into Greek) was made. A copy of the Jewish temple was even constructed at Leontopolis about 170 B.C.
All of this is but a pale shadow of what Isaiah sees here, IN THAT DAY.
IN THAT DAY, Egypt will be converted and delivered to participate with Israel in God’s favor. Yet impending conquest and captivity by Assyria (Muslim Brotherhood---Muslims) will face Egypt.
Isa. 19: 1-2: “The burden of Egypt, Behold the Lord rides upon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. ‘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. The spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof, and I will destroy the counsel thereof; and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards…’”
IN THAT DAY of judgmental visitation described in chapter 19, it will be one of physical destruction and catastrophe. The waters of the Nile will fail, and consequently all industry---fishing, weaving, and building---will be paralyzed. Egypt is to be utterly discomfited by the failure of its rulers, of its people, and of all its enterprises.
19:17: “The land of Judah shall be a terror to Egypt, every one that makes mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he has determined against it.”
IN ONE DAY, July 3, 2013, the President, cabinet, ministers and advisers in Egypt were removed from office and arrested. There is only one power in Heaven and earth that could accomplish that. He is the Lord of hosts, Jesus Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. I believe the Lord is riding upon His swift cloud in the nation of Egypt.
“Because of the oppressors, He shall send them a Savior (Jesus Christ) and a Great One. He shall deliver them.”
19: 21-22: “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 to the Lord, and perform it. The Lord shall smite Egypt. He shall smite and heal it; and they shall return even to the Lord, and he shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them.”
By New Testament times, a very large number of Jews and Christians had taken up residence in Egypt. However, this passage clearly points to a day of a wholesale turning of the Egyptians to God, such as has never yet taken place.
John Mark, the Evangelist, writer of the Gospel of Mark and one of the 70 disciples is recognized as starting the Coptic Christian church in Alexandria, the oldest church in Africa. This is confirmed by the fragment of the Gospel of John written in Coptic which was found in Upper Egypt in the first half of the second century and confirmed by other Christian leaders.
19:23-24: ‘IN THAT DAY shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. IN THAT DAY SHALL Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land; Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.
These verses continue to look beyond any historical events known to us; above all, their symbolical teaching is important. The ancient world has always had plenty of trade-routes though no doubt the road from Assyria to Egypt was long and arduous. The existence of the highway between them implies in this case not the march of armies but peaceful and prosperous intercourse---with no barriers between.
Between the two lay Syria and Palestine, but---says the prophet---that territory will be fragmented no longer, but will consist of a united Israel (of Davidic dimensions) on a par with the mighty imperial powers. Harmony reigns between the three states, for all worship the same God.
Last Tuesday the promise in Isa. 4:2-5 resounds not only to our state-of-being as a remnant, but also, we can prophecy and declare this blessing to the remnant church in Egypt established by John Mark.
It is a remnant under the dominion of grace, for everyone that is written among the living shall be called holy, and shall be accepted of God accordingly. (Isa. 4:3)
Isa. 4:2: “IN THAT DAY shall the Branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel… (vs. 5) And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory shall be a defense.”
Christ himself shall be exalted. He is the branch of the Lord. It is one of his prophesied names, “My servant the branch”.
Jehovah’s branch similar to the cloudy pillar in Tabernacle days is available to the remnant as a defense upon all the glory of His Holy Presence in the midst of the saints.
God will give this writ of protection to the Christian church whether there are two or three gathered together or large cathedrals of people gathering unto Jesus whose names are written among the living.
If God Himself be the glory over it, He will himself be a wall of fire round about it, impenetrable and impregnable. Those who are in this number are kept by the power of God as in a stronghold. The divine power and goodness shall be a tabernacle to all the saints. God himself shall be their hiding place.
Even as I am writing this, Christians around the world are being martyred for their faith. Martyrs are chosen and are given the grace to fulfill their destiny the same as those of us whose name is written among the living. These past two weeks, martyrs have died in Egypt, as well as other nations. However, for those whose name is written among the living… upon the glory shall be a defense whether we are called to live for Jesus or called to die for Jesus.
This will be accomplished by THE LORD OF HOSTS. This is God’s rule over every power in the material and spiritual universe (celestial and terrestrial). Nothing is too hard for God. The Lord of Hosts is his name who overturned the Muslim Brotherhood’s government in one day.
Our precious church has been given the honor of hosting a conference called and named by the Lord, “IN THAT DAY”. What does this mean? I do not know! I am following the Lord as He leads.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V. – Quotes from sermon notes of Pastor Carolyn Sissom, Isaiah 4, 6/4/13; I entered into the labors of F. F. Bruce Bible Commentary, David F. Payne. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of Mr. Payne.
“EGYPT: CHRISTIAN BEHEADED AS ISLAMIST VIOLENCE ESCALATES: The decapitated body of 60 year old Magdy Habashi was found Thursday in a cemetery in northern Sinai, after being abducted last Saturday by Islamist radicals. He was the second Christian to be killed in northern Sinai in less than a week, following the assassination of Coptic Christian priest Mena Aboud Sharoben by Islamist gunmen last weekend. Elsewhere, Christian groups have reported numerous attacks against churches and Christian-owned homes by violent mobs. Coptic Christians compromise more than 10% of Egypt’s population, which has boiled over with intrigue and rage since the January 25 revolution in 2011 that toppled the 30-year regime of former President Hosni Mubarak. (Arutz-7)” (Capitol Hill Prayer Group)