Dear Associates, Students and Friends:
Egypt shall return to power, greatness, and wealth before Christ returns. How this will happen no one knows. At present Egypt is one of the poorest countries in the world with an unemployment rate of 15–25% composed of mostly young people. This is a highly volatile situation for any society, and Egypt is anything but stable. In fact, it is a country plagued by great popular unrest. Egypt’s population is growing rapidly and the median age of that population is increasingly “younger.”
Yet Egypt’s return to wealth and greatness will happen according to God’s ordained timetable. “The Coming Splendor of Egypt” is the title of this month’s article from a taped lecture Dr. Martin gave in 1981. In this presentation, he gives the biblical prophecies about Egypt’s future. Egypt’s return to greatness did not occur in 1977. It did not begin strongly in 1981. Indeed, things have continued as they always have with the current situation that Egypt is one of the poorest nations on earth with a tremendously large number of people in abject poverty. In fact, more people are poor in Egypt than probably any time in the past 200 years.
How can this be when Egypt is prophesied to be wealthy, prosperous, and powerful in the future? Well, the prophecies have not yet begun to happen. However, it may be that the process has begun, leading to the prophesied time of prosperity and wealth for many if not most people in Egypt. We may be seeing that beginning at the present time.
One source of wealth in Egypt has been oil and gas production. Egypt has oil and gas reserves both in the Western Desert of Egypt but also in the Sinai Peninsula, which Israel seized from Egypt in the 1967 war. The Sinai was returned to Egypt as part of the Camp David Accords signed on September 17, 1978 between Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Menachim Begin of Israel. Violent opposition by Egyptian groups to these Accords with Israel that led to Sadat’s assassination in 1981, as Dr. Martin discusses in the article.
A U.S. Department of Energy “Country Analysis Brief” of July 2006 about Egypt’s energy resources, shows that Egypt’s oil production is actually decreasing while its natural gas production is increasing (http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Egypt/Background.html). Egypt is also beginning deep-water oil prospecting off its Mediterranean coast.
American companies recently made substantial finds of natural gas and oil, which may substantially improve Egypt’s energy prospects. 1 Egypt has one of the most advanced facilities to condense and ship LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) which will likely flow in tankers to Europe. A LNG pipeline to Europe under the Mediterranean Sea is also being considered. Egypt also realizes substantial income from trade through the Suez Canal, a vitally important transit corridor. It is creating a pipeline for oil transport from Suez to the Mediterranean Sea. This is an alternative to large bulk crude oil tankers too large to transit the Suez Canal.
Whether for these or other reasons, Egypt will become a great nation again as Dr. Martin explains:
“The prophecies indicate that a confederation of nations in North Africa is to arise, and it will be under the domination of Egypt. How and when this will occur is not shown in the Bible. We have constantly said in our … literature that one should be wary of setting dates relative to prophetic interpretation. It is far better to watch events! Even in this matter, however, a needed chronology should enter the picture if one hopes to understand the prophecies thoroughly. While the coming greatness of Egypt is something that will occur before the Second Advent of our Lord, we cannot be sure of an exact time schedule when the important prophetic events will take place.”
Dr. Martin, “The Assassination of Anwar Sadat,” FBR, 1981
After this period of achieving economic and political greatness, the destruction of Egypt and her riches will take place.
“Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction comes; it comes out of the north. …
The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.”
Jeremiah 46:20, 24
“For thus says the Lord YHWH; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. By the swords of the mighty will I cause your multitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, all of them: and they shall spoil the pomp of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed.”
Ezekiel 32:11–12
We are humbled and thankful for your contributions that allow the work and message of ASK and particularly of Dr. Ernest Martin to reach an ever increasing audience. God has been gracious toward ASK in that He is bringing new people to support our efforts while many of Dr. Martin’s and ASK’s original supporters are less able to help due to disability and death. God has been gracious to you also because this material continues to be available, due to your contributions, support through your recommendations to friends, relatives, and acquaintances by letting them know about the mass of information that is available to them through ASK. We are caretakers of the solid biblical information contained within the ASK website and publications, produced primarily through the efforts of Dr. Martin.
I have been amused to come across some “blogs” on the internet that quote ASK material on prophecy or history verbatim without attribution. It seems that some people think this information is so good and valuable that they feel compelled to steal it. They pawn it off as if it was their research! That is amusing because I doubt God will honor such actions. We request people give credit to ASK when appropriate.
As far as I can tell no theological study materials have been “appropriated” in that way. Perhaps they feel compelled to borrow and publish prophetic and historical material under their own name because they disagree with theological doctrines taught on the ASK website. The teachings from ASK might expose “their people” to universal reconciliation, the fallacy of the immortal soul, the true nature of God, and human destiny. In their minds ASK would “lead people astray.” They feel justified in presenting others’ research as their own. Whatever the motive, we are thankful that the truths of God as explained by Dr. Martin are going out. I totally agree with what the apostle Paul wrote. I am sure Dr. Martin would have also:
“Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.”
Philippians 1:15–18
Few of us are bound like Paul was, nevertheless we rejoice that you let us know how much you appreciate our efforts and that you pray for us as we pray for you, to the extent you communicate your needs to us. Thank you so much. I pray we all continue to be “set for the defence of the gospel.”
David W. Sielaff
David@askelm.com
1 One such contractor company is Apache Oil, which has made substantial discoveries in the Egyptian Western Desert. Production has begun on those oil and gas reserves at a time when oil prices are at all time historical highs. See Apache’s News Release of October 2007 at http://investor.apachecorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=271304. DWS
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