European Concerns on Egypt, LCG on King of the South
Muslim Brotherhood
الإخوان المسلمون
Al-Ikhwān Al-Muslimūn
In the UK, Germany, and EU, leaders are concerned about the situation in Egypt:
By Stephen Brown and William MacLean
MUNICH | Sat Feb 5, 2011 6:46am EST
MUNICH (Reuters) – European powers Germany and Britain urged Egypt on Saturday to change leaders rapidly but take its time holding elections, saying traditions of tolerance and fairness had to be built to make democracy work.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and European Council President Herman van Rompuy reiterated demands for a rapid “transition” — a phrase that has become a diplomatic codeword for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak after 30 years of military-backed autocracy.
But they said caution would be needed in the aftermath.
“I don’t believe that we solve the world’s problems by flicking a switch and holding an election … Egypt is a classic case in point,” Cameron told a security conference in Munich.
“I think a very quick election at the start of a process of democratization would be wrong,” Merkel told the same meeting…
Political analysts say European caution about free elections in Egypt will be seen by many in the Middle East as evidence of Western anxiety about the possibility that Islamists could come to power in the Arab world’s most populous country.
Critics of Western diplomacy in the region says this anxiety reflects a double standard, namely that the West compromises on its democratic ideals when the outcome would be unfavorable.
Egypt’s largest opposition movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, is tolerated by the authorities despite being officially banned. The Brotherhood says that, if given the freedom to choose, most of Egypt’s 80 million population would choose a form of Islamic law, although it is publicly committed to political pluralism. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/05/us-egypt-europe-idUSTRE71416L20110205
The situation in Egypt is tense. Notice another report:
Egypt VP Target of Assassination Attempt That Killed Two BodyguardsFOX News – Feb 4, 2011A failed assassination attempt on Egypt’s vice president in recent days left two of his bodyguards dead, sources tell Fox News.
Such an attempt on the life of Omar Suleiman would mark an alarming turn in the uprising against the government of President Hosni Mubarak, who only recently named Suleiman as vice president in an effort to quell the unrest and possibly line up a successor…
Suleiman also comes with an image problem of his own after serving as head of Mubarak’s intelligence forces.
As spy chief, he was known for his strong-arm tactics and was seen as one of the region’s most feared and revered intelligence chiefs.
To bring enough Arab nations together, I have felt that some type of “strongman” needed to rise up. One who Arabs would tend to respect. The time may be now and the Muslim Brotherhood may play an important role. Because of his past, while Omar Suleiman seems to be a strongman type, his history may make him too unpopular for that role.
We in the Living Church of God (LCG) have long expected such a leader. Here is some of today’s LCG commentary:
By Wyatt Ciesielka | Saturday, February 05, 2011The Arab world is undergoing a swift and increasingly violent transformation. How do these tumultuous events align with Bible prophecy? What is ahead for the Middle East? Is the stage being set for the emergence of the end-time king of the South?Daniel 11:40-43 reveals that immediately before Christ’s return, a European-based “king of the North” and an Arab-based “king of the South” will engage in a brief, but brutal, war. The northern armies will temporarily overrun the southern empire, only to be forced to abruptly evacuate to confront mighty armies from “the east” and “the north” (v. 44).
Naturally, in order for these prophecies to be fulfilled, a confederation of Arab states, primarily “south” of Jerusalem, and led by a powerful leader, is required. The timing is entirely up to God, but events in the Middle East today are rapidly setting the stage for the fulfillment of these prophecies. It is not just “radical Islam” or “anti-Semitism” or “rising food prices” that have sparked this massive wave of change. There are deeper and more profound causes.
In Egypt, an admittedly imperfect government with the most powerful regional military, which has long cooperated with the United States and has long supported peace with Israel, appears on the verge of collapse. And the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood and other “extremist” elements are more openly and more aggressively asserting their vision (The Washington Post, February 3, 2011). In Jordan – the only other Arab nation to officially accept peace with Israel; King Abdullah II – is under similar pressure. King Abdullah recently dismissed his entire government, and faces mounting pressure from the Islamic Action Front, which is the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood (Bloomberg, February 3, 2011).
Unrest and demonstrations have also “suddenly” erupted in Yemen, Tunisia, Lebanon, Algeria and Sudan. There are rumors that even Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter and the Arab world’s largest economy, is concerned about social unrest (Financial Times, February 3, 2011).
What is happening in the Arab world, and why are these events moving forward at such a ferocious pace? Read Daniel 11:41-43 again. Some of the key players comprising the empire of the future “king of the South” are the nations of Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia! These are all Arab (and primarily Sunni) nations, which are located primarily south of Jerusalem, that are prophesied to enter into a confederacy with their Arab brothers, as is also indicated in Psalm 83.
Obviously, for these prophecies to be fulfilled, Egypt, in particular, cannot remain an ally of Israel or the United States! And the Arab world, in general, must turn more “fundamentalist.”
The fact is that food prices, the Muslim Brotherhood or any number of other political or religious factors are only contributing reasons for the current Arab-world turmoil. The underlying reason is that the Almighty Creator God is allowing geopolitics to align according to His will, and according to His time! Scripture is clear that God supremely reigns over all nations and all empires (2 Chronicles 20:6, Daniel 4:25), and He sometimes allows demonic principalities to influence people, nations, and rulers (Daniel 10:20, Ephesians 6:12).
Is the current Arab crisis setting the stage for a future king of the South? While the timing is entirely up to God, the simple answer is that yes, Arab geopolitics are moving ahead exactly as Bible prophecy has long foretold! Read more
The timing seems to be right for such a leader to start rising up. The events in Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, and elsewhere seem to be setting the stage of the Arabic peoples to be willing to consider some type of confederation with a strong leader to represent them.–but there may be interim governments first.
If protests continue to expand in the Middle East, this could trigger other events which will possibly contribute to both the King of the South and the King of the North rising up and/or gaining power.
Some articles of possibly related interest may include:
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans?
Is There an Islamic Antichrist?Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
Barack Obama in Islamic Prophecy? There is actually a 17th century Shiite prophecy that some believe that Barack Obama will fulfill that will lead to a rising up of Islam.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? What MUST happen BEFORE the Great Tribulation?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the German Defense Minister one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
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