Muslim Brotherhood Forming a Political Party in Egypt; Protests Continue in Bahrain & Iran

Muslim Brotherhood
الإخوان المسلمون
Al-Ikhwān Al-Muslimūn

The situation in Egypt continues to be of prophetic interest:

Muslim Brotherhood to form political party; Egypt’s generals reach out to protest leaders

By Craig Whitlock and Samuel Sockol

Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, February 15, 2011; 9:14 AM CAIRO – The once-banned Muslim Brotherhood said Tuesday that it would form a political party and also assist in rewriting Egypt’s constitution, positioning itself to play a key role in the country’s political future.

The Brotherhood, an archenemy of former President Hosni Mubarak, said it would move quickly to organize a political wing — something it was prohibited from doing under the old regime.

“The Muslim Brotherhood group believes in the freedom of the formation of political parties,” a leader of the movement, Mohammed al-Mursi, said in a statement.

Egypt’s military rulers, who like Mubarak have traditionally seen the fundamentalist Brotherhood as a threat to the country’s secular establishment, indicated that they are coming to terms with the idea of the movement becoming active in politics. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/14/AR2011021404872.html

As far as what the Muslim Brotherhood wants to accomplish, Wikipedia reports:

In the group’s belief, the Quran and Sunnah constitute a perfect way of life and social and political organization that God has set out for man. Islamic governments must be based on this system and eventually unified in a Caliphate. The Muslim Brotherhood’s goal, as stated by Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna was to reclaim Islam’s manifest destiny, an empire, stretching from Spain to Indonesia.

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. They (who tend to be Sunni) want a Caliph while the Shi’ites look for the Imam Mahdi–both of whom sound a lot like final the King of the South.

We in the Living Church of God (LCG) have long expected such a leader. Here is one recent and two older writings that demonstrate this:

Commentary: The Arab world in crisis: Setting the stage for the king of the South?

By Wyatt Ciesielka | Saturday, February 05, 2011

The 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)…

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

Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs

Indeed, a coming “Mahdi” whose arrival Muslims are expecting—in Bible prophecy known as the “King of the South” (Daniel 11:40–45)—will soon arise and have a dramatic impact on world events. This powerful Muslim religious leader will unite many of the more than one billion Muslims. He will pose a genuine threat to the coming European Empire, which will have to crush that threat in order to continue exploiting Middle Eastern oil to further its military ambitions. (Meredith RC. Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs. LCG Booklet, 2007, pp. 16-17)

Conflict Over the “City of Peace”

Today this pattern is repeating itself, as a “third wave” of leaders is sweeping across the Middle East. Rejecting both the capitalism of the West and the discredited Marxism of the former Soviet Union, these would-be “third wave” leaders have emphasized a fundamentalist brand of Islam that leaves no room for compromise. Looking back to the glory days of Arab conquest and dominance in the first centuries after Muhammad, they also dream of a pan-Arab union. This will not be a union under a monarch from one of the old Bedouin dynasties, or a secular-educated army officer turned dictator, but rather a new Caliph who will unify the Faithful under the banner of purified Islam. This, they reason, is the only way that Western influence can be expelled from their region, and that Israel can be subjugated…

The yearnings across much of the Middle East for a new Saladin—one who will restore Arab glory by conquering the Jews and expelling Western influence—were foreseen by Bible prophecy. In Daniel 11:40, we read of a future “King of the South” who will ultimately “push at” a coming European superpower at the time of the end. This individual, called in Bible prophecy the King of the South because his center of power is south of Jerusalem, will undoubtedly be a charismatic person who will whip up much of the Muslim Middle East into a frenzy against Israel and Europe. (Ogwyn J. Conflict Over the “City of Peace”. Tomorrow’s World magazine, March-April 2002).

The timing seems to be right for such a leader to start rising up. The events in primarily Sunni Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, and Yemen 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.

Protests have continued for a second day in Bahrain as well as Iran, countries with Shi’ite majorities (though the ruler of Bahrain is Sunni himself).

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?