Sabbath 26/10/36/120                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Dear Friends,

It is worthwhile us examining the activities at the beginning of the Twentieth century and the sequence of the wars that occurred exactly 100 years ago.

From the Jubilee of 1877 the Islamist and Arab nationalist opposition to Europeans had been developed to the extent that by 1882 opposition to European influence and settlement in the Middle East led to growing tension amongst native groups and leaders, especially in Egypt which then, as now, was the most powerful, populous, and influential of Arabian nations. The most dangerous opposition during this period came from the Albanian and Mamluke dominated Egyptian army which saw the reorientation of economic development away from their control as a threat to their privileges. They then, as now, in the Egyptian modern Army had a distinct place in Egyptian society and they are still more or less playing out the part they were acting in Nineteenth century Egypt. Their direction of influence has simply changed and is less terrorist aligned.

A large military demonstration in September 1881 forced the Khedive Tewfiq to dismiss his Prime Minister and rule by decree. Hundreds of European and allied Egyptian persons were murdered and thousands more were targeted for terrorism. Many of the Europeans retreated to specially designed quarters suited for defence or to heavily Christian and European settled cities such as Alexandria.

As a result, in April 1882, France and Great Britain sent warships to Alexandria to bolster the Khedive amidst a turbulent climate and protect European lives and property. In opposition, Egyptian nationalists spread fear of invasion throughout the country to bolster Islamic and Arabian revolutionary action. The Khedive Tawfiq moved to Alexandria for his own safety. Army officers led by Ahmed Urabi had begun to take control of the government. By June 1882, Egypt was in the hands of nationalists opposed to European domination of the country and the new army revolutionary government began nationalizing all assets in Egypt. Subsequently, anti-Christian and anti-European Arabs infiltrated Alexandria and began terrorizing the populace eventually seizing parts of the city.

A British Naval bombardment of Alexandria managed to counter the revolutionary terror in the streets of the city. However, nationally it had little effect on the opposition. To prevent the intervention of outside powers or the seizure of the canal by Islamists in conjunction with an Islamic revolution in the British Empire of India, the British led an Anglo-Indian expeditionary force at both ends of the Suez Canal in August 1882. At the same time French forces landed in Alexandria and the northern end of the canal in conjunction with the British Forces. Their conjoined forces then manoeuvred to meet the Egyptian army. The combined Anglo-French-Indian army easily defeated the Egyptian Army at Tel El Kebir in September and took control of the country putting the Khedive Tewfiq back in control.

The purpose of the invasion had been to restore political stability to Egypt under a government of the Khedive and the international controls which had been put in place to streamline Egyptian financing since 1876, which was the Biblical Sabbath year and Jubilee of 1876-77. Some think it unlikely that the British expected a long-term occupation from the outset; however, Britain's Chief Representative in Egypt at the time, Lord Cromer, viewed Egypt's financial reforms as part of a long-term objective. Cromer reportedly took the view that political stability needed financial stability, and embarked on a program of long term investment in Egypt's productive resources, particularly the cotton industry which was the mainstay of Egypt’s export earnings.

In 1906, British rule in Egypt was questioned with the Denshaw Incident. The German Empire set up what was to become a serious long-term problem which would carry on into two world wars and then into post WWII conflicts and on into what will be WWIII at the end of this final period up to the Jubilee of 2027.  By 2006 the financial crisis that was to disrupt the global system was set up and in 2007 was unleashed in Europe and the Rest of the World by corruption in the US and in Europe. The Germans, from 1906, began re-organizing, funding, and expanding anti-Christian, anti-European, and especially anti-British revolutionary nationalist movements. For the first quarter of the 20th century, Britain's main goal in Egypt was penetrating these groups, neutralizing them, and attempting to form more pro-British nationalist groups with which to hand on further control. This was thwarted and by the beginning of World War One (WWI) Germany had successfully formed a series of revolutionary nationalist and liberation groups against Anglo-French colonial authorities around the world. Most of these groups continued on to form post-WWII anti-colonialist groups which eventually forced the removal of British and French rule in Africa, India, and Asia. British colonial authorities attempted to reorganise and develop their less radical opponents with entrance into the League of Nations, including the peace treaty of Versailles. The very nature of its punitive actions against Germany and the Nationalist ambitions of the Nazis saw the League doomed to failure as it could not control the nations involved. The Anglo-French agreements (Sykes Picot Treaty) set the stage for the later divisions and Islamist conflicts almost one hundred years later. Syria was one such agreement from the French as was the West African nations, and as was Egypt and Palestine and East Africa for the British and the divisions in Asia also.

In part of the reorganisation in Egypt, the Wafd Party was invited and promised full independence in the years ahead. British occupation ended nominally with the UK's 1922 declaration of Egyptian independence, but British military domination of Egypt lasted until 1936. In 1939 the British Forces were back in occupation of Egypt for WWII. The Axis forces were defeated decisively at El Alamein. The pro-Nazi French Foreign Legion in Syria was then defeated by the Australians before their return to the Pacific Theatre.

In 1953, Egypt declared independence and in 1956 seized the Suez Canal. This was part of the prophecies concerning the fall of Egypt and its seizure of independence in a sequence of 2520 years or seven prophetic times from 605 BCE to 565 BCE with Egyptian independence (thus 1956 with Suez) and then to 525 BCE with Cambyses’ Invasion.  2520 years from Cambyses’ Invasion and occupation of Egypt was 1996 which marked the end of the Time of the Gentiles within the prophecies of Daniel (se the paper Fall of Egypt (No. 036)and Fall of Egypt Part II (No. 036_2).
In 1897, the Sixth year of the cycle, we saw the First Zionist Congress held.  This set in train a number of events that also saw the British Empire move towards establishing the Jewish Homeland.

In 1912, the Sabbath Year, the Italians began to move into North Africa also. As we saw, the European nations began to move towards world war with the actions of Germany and the Austro-Hungarians.  Between 1912 and 1914 Europe began to stumble into WWI through its imperialist ambitions.  By 1916 Europe had developed into the major conflagrations that saw the demise of massive numbers of its people (e.g. The Somme and the Western Front and with Russia on the Eastern Front).  This conflict was exactly seven prophetic times or 2520 years from the Battle of Carchemish and the establishment of the Babylonian Empire.

In 1917, The Commonwealth forces took Palestine at Beersheba and then the Balfour Declaration was made for the establishment of the Jewish Homeland and Australia took Jerusalem.  That sequence of events is explained in the paper The Oracles of God (No. 184).

In 1918, the Ottoman Empire fell with the defeat of Germany and was ultimately placed as a NATO ally with the Northern forces of the biblical King of the North.

Because Italy fought on the Allied side against the Germans and Austro-Hungarians in WWI they kept their African possessions through until WWII. Mussolini established fascist rule in Italy and joined the Axis powers.  As a result the significant Italian forces in Africa engaged the Allied forces there in East Africa from 1940-1941.  The Italians were defeated in East Africa at the Battle of Gondar in November 1941. The North African Campaign took place on the Italian declaration of war on 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian Deserts as the Western Desert Campaign, (also known as the Desert War) and in Morocco and Algeria in Operation Torch and In Tunisia under the Tunisian Campaign. The Italian forces under the 10th Army collapsed under the Allied counter offensives in Operation Compass from November 1940. The Germans reinforced them with Rommel and the Afrika Korps, and they were finally defeated at the Second Battle of El Alamein. Operation Torch in late 1942 was fought by US forces to satisfy Russian demands to draw German forces away from the Russian front and allowed the US to fight on a limited front in North Africa.  It was fought against Vichy French forces allied with the Germans and who subsequently capitulated.

It is important to now look at the situation 100 years later.  From the Zionist conference of 1897 we see in 1997 the establishment of the Empire of the Beast with the last union of the Ten Toes of Daniel chapter 2. This will see Jerusalem occupied within the Thirty years and before the Advent of the Messiah. They will rule there for forty-two months and will be defeated and removed from there by the Messiah.

From the Sabbath year 2012, exactly 100 years from the conflicts in the occupation of North Africa and the beginning of the Wars of the End, we see the Islamist conflicts in the Middle East developed to the point of genocide and the call by Egypt under the Muslim Brotherhood and with Iran for the genocide of Israel from 2013. Syria was placed in civil war and in 2014 in May will be at the end of the 40 years from their last attempt at the occupation and genocide of Israel in the Yom Kippur War. God will deal with them after the Second Passover. The Middle East will then be faced with the major wars that they saw from 1914-1918.  These wars will involve Europe as it did in 1914-1918.  Russia will also be involved as it was before 1918 until their conflict saw them withdraw under the Bolshevik revolution. 

The four years of this conflict of 1914-1918 will see the 100 year span from 2014-2018 but the 100 years from the Seven Times of Carchemish will end in 2016.  We would thus expect the period of 2016-2018 to be the most conflagratory. 2014-2016 may well see Russia involved in the World War with the Kings of the North fighting and then occupying the Middle East ruling from Palestine and from Gaza to Jerusalem.

The period to 2018 would expect to see the Great War of WWIII continue until this period and then from 2018 to 2025 we would expect to see the Messiah deal with the world under the Vials of the Wrath of God. The agreement on the Armistice was reached prior to the date in November and we would expect to see the activities of the Messiah from the Last Holy Day of Tabernacles 2018 to the beginning of the Sabbath year on 1 Abib 2019.

The period 1947-1997 or 50 years saw the War for Jewish Independence fought and the Arab armies defeated. This last 50 years was the last period until the end of the Time of the Gentiles and in 1997 the Empire of the Beast was formed for the Last 30 years of the Last Days (see also the papers World War III: Part I The Empire of the Beast (No. 299A) and WWIII Part II: The Whore and the Beast (No. 299B).

In 1967, Jerusalem was retaken in the Six Day War. This event was part of the Heavenly Signs (see the paper The Heavenly Signs of the Sixth Seal in Context (No. 38B). This period 1967-1997 was the period of the Mourning for Aaron as the Temple was reclaimed but unable to be occupied except for the Wailing Wall. In 1997 we saw the beginning of the end of the last thirty years in the wilderness.  This was the Mourning for Moses.  At the return of the Messiah for the period prior to 2025 we will see the First Resurrection of the Dead (see the paper Heaven Hell or the First Resurrection of the Dead (No. 143A). At the end of this period we will see the restoration and relocation of the nations at the Jubilee of 2027, and the beginning of the millennium in the Holy Land under Messiah and the new world government of the Messiah from 2028-3027, with the Second Resurrection of the Dead and the Great White Throne Judgment No. 143B) from 3028-3127.
 
Wade Cox
Coordinator General