ICG on Pope, Euro, and Egypt

Mohammad Hosni Mubarak

Late last night, ICG sent out the following from its Mark Armstrong:

As you are aware, the pope is making a series of visits in the British isles, as the UK Telegraph put it, attempting to bring the “heathen” Brits back into the fold…The BBC said the pope was there at the Queen’s invitation…

Other major news out of Europe this week has the member nations of the EU coming together under central leadership in Brussels to deal with the economic crisis…An article published by Spiegle begins with this quote, “The euro crisis scared European Union members enough that they have finally put aside national interests to push through Europe-wide financial reforms. In doing so they are handing more power over to Brussels.” There is further talk of a “quantum leap” that will “fundamentally change Europe.” The crisis has so spooked the member nations that open discussion of an “economic government” for the continent is not being met with the usual outcry about the loss of national sovereignty for the individual states…

Another big story this week is the one that has the famed Mohammed el Baradei…trying to topple the Mubarak government in Egypt. President Mubarak has had serious trouble for years with the radical Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. He’s outlawed their activities and arrested their leaders who’ve campaigned for an overthrow of Egypt’s government…

President Mubarak is said to be 82 years old now and in failing health. He honored the peace agreements Anwar Sadat made with Israel, which has not gone over well with the radical Islamist types. And, of course it cost Sadat his life…Egypt is the largest of all Arab nations, and if the Mubarak government should be brought down it will have reverberations throughout the Middle East and for that matter, the whole world.

Some feel that Gamal Mubarak will replace his father, but unless he is perceived to be a more devote promoter of Islam, this might not happen as others have indicated.

While I have covered these matters in the past, I wanted to expand on the Egyptian one. But before I do, I would like to add that Mark Armstrong’s grandfather wrote the following:

And I can see now, the event that is going to trigger the formation of the reunification in Europe; the resurrection of the medieval Holy Roman Empire that we’ve been looking forward to that is prophesied to come…

But I believe that some event is going to happen suddenly just like out a blue sky that is going to shock the whole world and is going to cause the nations in Europe to realize they must unite! … Well now I think I can see what may be the very event that is going to trigger…that is the economic situation in the world…(Armstrong, Herbert W. Sermon, July 7, 1984).

And right now, many in Europe seem to be leaning in the direction that Herbert W. Armstrong said that they would.

Now related to Egypt, it needs to be understood that the situation in Egypt is more volatile than many realize. If there is some type of conflict with Iran and Israel, this may tip the balance of what will happen in Egypt. This combined with the fact that the USA recently agreed to sell Saudi Arabia a massive $60 billion in arms (see Israel reportedly OKs US-Saudi arms deal) suggests that the rise of the final King of the South may be very near.

Here is something that Mark Armstrong’s father wrote in a publication when Herbert W. Armstrong was its Editor-in-Chief:

The king of the South? EGYPT, of course. But not Egypt of today. Egypt of a few more years from now–Egypt as she continues to expand the U.A.R., bringing more and more of the North Africa Mohammedan nations into the same Afro-Arabian power block! (Armstrong, Garner Ted. “And when you see the Abomination…” Plain Truth, July 1963, p. 22).

Related to the King of the South, here is something that was published in a magazine while Herbert W. Armstrong was its Editor-in-Chief:

Bible prophecy reveals the coming emergence of an Arab-Moslem confederation in the Middle East. It is referred to in prophecy as the ‘king of the south’ (Daniel 11:40). This confederation will play a crucial role in end-time events (Stump, K. Plain Truth. December 1980, p.26).

Mahdi, the expected end time messiah who is to cleanse and restore the Islamic faith…to usher in a seven-year golden age just before the end of the world…The expectation of a coming Mahdi (in Arabic, “the divinely guided one”) is prevalent among virtually all Moslem sects, though they often differ in the specifics of the concept…But who is the “king of the south”?…in verse 40 we skip to “the time of the end”…Just as there is yet to be a final “king of the north”…there may very well emerge in the same manner a final “king of the south”–an overall leader of an Arab-Moslem confederation, possibly bearing the very title Mahdi…a prophetic psalm (Psalm 83) provides additional insight into the Mideast picture. Germany (Assyria in Bible prophecy) and perhaps the rest of Europe will be in league in the future with a union of Arab nations…(Stump K. The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979, pp. 11-12)

Events in the world, in general, and the Middle East in particular are heading in that direction. Egypt will play a role in the end times (Daniel 11:40-43).

Some articles for more related information 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?
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”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe?
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? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?