(February 13, 2011) In the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and his Egyptian friend Sallah are discussing the Nazis digging for the Ark of the Covenant at Tanis in Egypt. In a reference to the way the evil Nazis were treating the Egyptians Sallah says, “It’s as if the Pharaohs have returned”. The recent and dramatic mass demonstrations and protests occurring in Egypt indicate that the modern Egyptians felt the same way about their leader, President Hosni Mubarak. The people did not have freedom of assembly (gatherings of more than five people required governmental sanction), freedom of speech, and reportedly nearly half of the population lived on two dollars a day. One 65 year old Egyptian man declared after Mubarak’s resignation, “The nightmare is over!” After thirty years of ruling and after eighteen days of protests President Mubarak resigned on February 11, 2011. The Egyptian army, which is respected by the people, will guide Egypt through this period of transition. In the past Western governments and some Arab governments have looked to dictators to oppressively rule their Arab countries in order to maintain stability and keep Muslim extremists from taking over. When the secular and dictatorial shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979, Muslim fundamentalists took over with the equally and religiously oppressive Ayatollah Khomeini as their new leader. Some are concerned that a similar scenario could occur in Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood attempting to ascend to power. If that situation did arise then Egypt’s 32 year peace treaty with Israel would be in peril. It is unlikely that the Egyptian army, which has no desire to engage Israel in further military conflict, would allow this to occur. However, the resignation of Mubarak follows on the heels of the Tunisian people overthrowing their ruler last December and there may be similar events occurring in the near future in Jordan, Yemen, Algeria and some of the other Arab countries. If these uprisings do take place it could lead to a scenario that former Muslim Walid Shoebat spoke about in his 2008 book God’s War on Terror.
The rise of the Caliphate
Mr. Shoebat wrote three years ago of a revived Caliphate (i.e. an Islamic religious and political entity comprised of Muslim countries worldwide under the authority of a Caliph) ruled by the Antichrist :
“Biblically, the Empire of the Antichrist will not be a new empire; rather it will be the revival of a previously great empire that will have suffered what the Bible calls a ‘fatal head wound’. (Revelation 13:3) But the wound will be healed and the empire will be revived from the dead as it were: ‘And the beast [Antichrist Empire] which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain and his fatal wound healed. And the whole world was amazed and followed after the beast.” (Revelation 13:2-3)
“Today the Caliphate exists only in the desires of hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide who want to revive this beast that was slain March 3, 1924. The last Caliphate–the Ottoman Caliphate–was officially abolished by the first President of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The abolition of the Caliphate is profoundly significant for our study. For it was on this day that the Islamic Empire, led by a sitting Caliph for over fourteen hundred years suffered a fatal head wound. The position of “head of state” of the Islamic Empire was severed.” ["God's War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible, by Walid Shoebat, p. 81; Top Executive Media, 2008]
Mr. Shoebat believes that the Islamic Empire will rise again and be governed under Shari’a Law in the form of a Caliphate. The ruling sultan and caliph of this revived empire will be the Islamic messianic figure called the Mahdi. It is possible that the current revolutionary movements in Arab countries could lead to such a development.
On p. 451-453 of his book Mr. Shoebat mentions a 2004 report issued by the Nation Intelligence Council (an agency of the United States government) that describes a possible scenario in which a Caliphate is established by 2020. The NIC website states, “Welcome to the website of the National Intelligence Council. The NIC is a center of strategic thinking within the US Government, reporting to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and providing the President and senior policymakers with analyses of foreign policy issues that have been reviewed and coordinated throughout the Intelligence Community. Our work ranges from brief analyses of current issues to “over the horizon” estimates of broader trends at work in the world. Although most of our work is for internal government use, we also produce or commission unclassified reports, many of which you will find on this website.” I found the 2004 report titled “Report of the National Intelligence Council’s 2020 Project” on the NIC site. Below are two screenshots of the NIC website, the first of which shows the table of contents from this report including the chapter title “Fictional Scenario: A New Caliphate”:
NIC 2004 Report Table of Contents
This second screenshot shows a summary of their fictional “Caliphate” scenario:
NIC 2004 Report Fictional Scenario Summary
The text of this summary states:
“Fictional Scenario: A New Caliphate
The fictional scenario portrayed below provides an example of how a global movement fueled by radical religious identity could emerge. Under this scenario, a new Caliphate is proclaimed and manages to advance a powerful counter ideology that has widespread appeal. It is depicted in the form of a hypothetical letter from a fictional grandson of Bin Ladin to a family relative in 2020. He recounts the struggles of the Caliph in trying to wrest control from traditional regimes and the conflict and confusion which ensue both within the Muslim world and outside between Muslims and the United States, Europe, Russia and China. While the Caliph’s success in mobilizing support varies, places far outside the Muslim core in the Middle East in Africa and Asia are convulsed as a result of his appeals. The scenario ends before the Caliph is able to establish both spiritual and temporal authority over a territory which historically has been the case for previous Caliphates. At the end of the scenario, we identify lessons to be drawn.”
The end of this section on the fictional future Caliphate concludes:
“Lessons Learned
A Caliphate would not have to be entirely successful for it to present a serious challenge to the international order. This scenario underlines the saliency of the cross-cultural ideological debate that would intensify with growing religious identities.
* The IT revolution is likely to amplify the clash between Western and Muslim worlds.
* The appeal of a Caliphate among Muslims would vary from region to region, which argues for Western countries adopting a differentiated approach to counter it. Muslims in regions benefiting from globalization, such as parts of Asia and Europe, may be torn between the idea of a spiritual Caliphate and the material advantages of a globalized world.
* The proclamation of a Caliphate would not lessen the likelihood of terrorism and, in fomenting more conflict, could fuel a new generation of terrorists intent on attacking those opposed to the Caliphate, whether inside or outside the Muslim world.”
The idea that the U.S. government believes that an Islamic Caliphate is a possibility and a dangerous one at that seems to give credence to Mr. Shoebat’s belief that the Antichrist’s reign may indeed be over a revived Islamic Empire. Whether or not current events occurring in various Arab and Muslim countries are a precursor to that remains to be seen.
Egypt
Egypt does play a role in End-Times prophecy:
“1 The burden against Egypt. Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. 2 ‘I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom. 3 The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers. 4 And the Egyptians I will give into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them,’ Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts. 5 The waters will fail from the sea, And the river will be wasted and dried up. 6 The rivers will turn foul; The brooks of defense will be emptied and dried up; The reeds and rushes will wither. 7 The papyrus reeds by the River, by the mouth of the River, And everything sown by the River, Will wither, be driven away, and be no more. 8 The fishermen also will mourn; All those will lament who cast hooks into the River, And they will languish who spread nets on the waters. 9 Moreover those who work in fine flax And those who weave fine fabric will be ashamed; 10 And its foundations will be broken. All who make wages will be troubled of soul. 11 Surely the princes of Zoan are fools; Pharaoh’s wise counselors give foolish counsel. How do you say to Pharaoh, ‘I am the son of the wise, The son of ancient kings?’ 12 Where are they? Where are your wise men? Let them tell you now, And let them know what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt. 13 The princes of Zoan have become fools; The princes of Noph are deceived; They have also deluded Egypt, Those who are the mainstay of its tribes. 14 The Lord has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst; And they have caused Egypt to err in all her work, As a drunken man staggers in his vomit. 15 Neither will there be any work for Egypt, Which the head or tail, Palm branch or bulrush, may do. 16 In that day Egypt will be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He waves over it. 17 And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts which He has determined against it. 18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear by the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction. 19 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. 20 And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. 21 Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria–a blessing in the midst of the land, 25 whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, ‘Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.’” (Isaiah 19:1-25)
This prophecy starts out as a judgment against Egypt. The “fierce king” of verse 4 is probably a reference to the Antichrist although some biblical prophecies have a twofold fulfillment, one in previous history and one in the End-Times. Like one of the ten plagues visited upon Egypt during the time of Moses, the Nile River will become useless as the source of Egyptian life. There will be a civil war between the Egyptian people. Verse 20 declares that as a result of this judgment the people will cry out to God and “He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them.” This is clearly speaking of the second coming of Jesus Christ when He destroys the Antichrist and his armies. Verse 21 states then the Egyptian people will know that Jesus is the Lord as will the Syrians and the Jews and they will all be united (“there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria…In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria”) Islam will cease to exist as the former Muslims become followers of their Savior, Jesus the Messiah.
Israel and the Caliphate
If a Caliphate ever does come into existence it would pose the greatest danger modern Israel ever faced including their War of Independence. I believe it would also be of considerable prophetic significance. However current and future events play out we would do well to follow the LORD God’s lead:
“12 [Israel], a land which the LORD thy God cares for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.” (Deuteronomy 11:11-12)
We too should keep our eyes on Israel and any current events that may affect it.
