“And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Isaiah 19:2)

Egypt is famous for many things, including an ancient civilization that paid homage to a pantheon of gods. Many people are not aware that modern Egypt is mentioned in Bible prophecy, and one of the most astonishing passages is found in Isaiah 19. There, God promises certain realities for Egypt in the last days.

In verse 2, we see that Egyptians will fight among themselves, and this scenario is perfectly illustrated in the infighting going on after the Muslim Brotherhood gained power two years ago.

The Brotherhood was started in Egypt in 1928, and has become the spiritual father of the jihadist organizations around the world, bent on conquering all lands for Allah.

But a funny thing happened on the way to hoped-for hegemony regarding the Muslim Brotherhood. Long-oppressed people—truly wanting to be free to live their lives—began to push back.

Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi (oddly enough, fawned-over by American evangelical pastor Bob Roberts Jr.) instituted sweeping powers, on the heels of his supposed salvation of the people from the autocratic rule of Hosni Mubarak.

Among the most oppressed people in the burgeoning Islamic state are the Coptic Christians, themselves the true, direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians. Persecution of Christians and other minorities in Egypt and the wider of the Middle East is a scandal of epic proportions…and little reported by the mainstream media, which loves to bash Israel.

Verse 17 of Isaiah 19 says that in those days, the land of Judah (read: Israel) will be a terror to Egypt. Certainly, the Israelis have inflicted at least two shattering defeats on Egypt in modern times (1967 and 1973), and the vaunted IDF remains capable of meeting any threat.

However, the beauty of God’s Word is that He is for all people, and provision is made in chapter 19 for the Egyptian people in the last days. For in the closing verses of the chapter, we read that the Lord will look with favor on the people of the Middle East, including Egypt, and the long-anticipated reconciliation between regional cousins will take place in an economic and cultural exchange that will finally put an end to the suffering.

Once again, we see in the Bible’s predictive prophecy that what we see in the Bible is what we see in the real world. Today, Egyptians are fighting against Egyptians. One day, though, hopefully soon, this tortured region will be at rest.

Let us pray fervently for the hastening of that day.