What is the future of Israel and her neighbors according to Isaiah’s Bible prophecy? | THE ROSENBERG REPORT

Reporting from the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, TBN host and ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg opened the latest episode of THE ROSENBERG REPORT by describing the current stalemate in the brutal war: “The Ukrainians aren't being able to push Russia out, but the Russians aren't able to push deeper in.”

He wondered if an end to this war was possible:

“Can President Trump bring peace and [end] this bloody and brutal war? And is this war part of Bible prophecy?

Rosenberg’s trip to Ukraine relates to both questions. He traveled there to discuss the prospects for peace with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who personally invited him for an exclusive interview. That conversation will air next week on TBN.

Second, Rosenberg met with local Christian leaders to better understand how God is at work behind the headlines. “I see what the devil is doing here. I see the horrific war. But what is God doing? Is there any hope? Are people coming to faith in Jesus Christ? Are churches even being planted?” he asked.

From there, Rosenberg connected current events to Bible prophecy.

“I do believe that what we’re watching here is Bible prophecy coming to pass. I believe that this war is one of the birth pangs that Jesus Christ spoke of in Matthew 24 and Luke 21,” he said, noting that Jesus warned of wars, rumors of wars, and plagues as signs of the last days.

Among other evident birth pangs, Rosenberg pointed to the war that Iran set into motion against Israel from seven different directions.

What is God’s plan for Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East? The answer can be found in Bible prophecy, he said.

“Bible prophecy is an intercept from the mind of the all-knowing, all-seeing God. He’s telling us about the future… about certain events and trends in certain countries in the last days of history.”

Rosenberg lamented that so few pastors, seminaries, and Bible colleges today teach Bible prophecy, leaving some Evangelical believers not fully aware of its importance. For that reason, he decided to walk his audience through one of the most remarkable prophecies in scripture, Isaiah 19, concerning Egypt and Israel’s Arab neighbors.

“It’s one of the least studied, least preached, least understood prophecies in the entire Bible, but it could NOT be more important – or more hopeful,” he emphasized.

Civil War in Egypt

“Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt;
The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence,
And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians;
And they will fight, each against his brother and each against his neighbor,
City against city and kingdom against kingdom.”
(Isaiah 19:1-2, NASB)

Rosenberg explained that the passage foretells a coming civil war in Egypt. “We saw during the Arab Spring what looked like the beginnings of a civil war. But Isaiah says it will get worse in the last days,” he noted. Egypt, he warned, will descend into internal conflict, a struggle that will shake the very core of the nation.

Spiritual Confusion

“Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them;
And I will confound their strategy,
So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead,
And to mediums and spiritists.”
(Isaiah 19:3)

“This describes not just political turmoil but spiritual confusion,” Rosenberg said. “Rather than turning to the Lord, Egyptians will turn to false gods, to mediums, to occult practices. That will be one of the greatest problems in the last days.”

Cruel Rule

“Moreover, I will hand the Egyptians over to a cruel master,
And a mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord God of armies.
(Isaiah 19:4)

Rosenberg observed: “This could very well refer to the Antichrist, or perhaps another cruel dictator who rises before him. The text doesn’t specify, but it does make clear that Egypt will fall under the control of a harsh and oppressive ruler.”

Environmental and Economic Collapse

“The waters from the sea will dry up,
And the river will be parched and dry.
The canals will stink,
The streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up;
The reeds and rushes will rot away…
And the sown fields by the Nile will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.”
(Isaiah 19:5-7)

Rosenberg connected this prophecy to growing concerns over the Nile River today. “The Nile is Egypt’s lifeline. Yet Isaiah foretells a day when it will dry up. Egyptians today are already deeply worried about water shortages caused by dams being built upstream in Sudan and Ethiopia.”

This environmental crisis, Rosenberg added, will trigger economic disaster:

“And the fishermen will grieve,
And all those who cast a line into the Nile will mourn,
And those who spread nets on the waters will dwindle away.
Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax
And the weavers of white cloth will be utterly dejected.”
(Isaiah 19:8-9)

“Egypt’s cotton industry, famous worldwide for its high-quality fabric, will collapse. The very economic pillars of Egypt will be crushed,” he explained.

Political Chaos and Divine Judgment

“The officials of Zoan are mere fools;
The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become stupid.
…The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of distortion;
They have led Egypt astray in all that it does,
As a drunken person staggers in his vomit.”
(Isaiah 19:11,14)

“Isaiah describes political confusion, leaders making foolish decisions, and a nation staggering like a drunk,” Rosenberg explained. “It’s all part of God’s divine judgment.”

A Great Spiritual Awakening

Yet, Rosenberg emphasized, Isaiah’s prophecy does not end in despair.

“In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt,
And a memorial stone to the Lord near its border.
It will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of armies in the land of Egypt;
For they will cry out to the Lord because of oppressors,
And He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will save them.”
(Isaiah 19:19-20)

“This is the turning point,” Rosenberg said passionately. “Egyptians will cry out to the Lord, and He will send them a Savior, Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah, not only the Savior of Israel but also of Egypt.”

The prophecy continues:

“The Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord on that day.
They will worship with sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it.
So the Lord will strike Egypt, striking but healing;
So they will return to the Lord, and He will respond to them and heal them.”
(Isaiah 19:21-22)

Rosenberg described this as a promise of a great spiritual awakening across Egypt.

Peace and Unity in the Middle East

Isaiah concludes with an inspiring vision:

“In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria,
And the Assyrians will come into Egypt, and the Egyptians into Assyria,
And the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
On that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria,
A blessing in the midst of the earth,
Whom the Lord of armies has blessed, saying,
‘Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.’”
(Isaiah 19:23-25)

“This text – Isaiah 19 – is telling us that the future is very dark. There’s judgment coming. There is trouble coming to Egypt and the region. But there’s a great spiritual awakening coming as well,” Rosenberg explained.

“That’s why I’m so passionate about doing ministry in this part of the world… because a future of spiritual awakening is coming to the epicenter in the last days,” he added.

Rosenberg noted that through The Joshua Fund, more than $100 million has been invested over the past 20 years to strengthen the Church and advance the Gospel in the region. He urged Christians to prepare for that moment and remain faithful in supporting the church in Israel and across the Middle East.

“We in the Church must be found faithful. That’s what we do,” he concluded.

Watch Joel Rosenberg’s full breakdown of Isaiah 19 on the TBN website.

Don’t miss his interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week.

THE ROSENBERG REPORT airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. EST and Saturday nights at 10 p.m. EST on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the most-watched Christian television network in the United States.